Why do Taxi drivers always use hazard lights?

Dr. Dre

Originally posted by herbie747
I suppose - if they had any sort of brain that worked properly, they wouldn't be driving a taxi. Must be all the alcohol and curries that kills brain cells, and then the only job left that they have the aptitude for is driving - and they still can't to that with any sort of competence.

[sic]




Worst. Hypothesis. Ever.

MojoMaker

Most of you guys have never driven outside of Ireland have you? And, no, I don't mean hiring a car for a week on the Costa del Sol.

The use of hazard warning lights is very common throughout Europe as an indication of rapid deceleration with a view to coming to a stop. For example it is accepted road etiquette on French & Spanish motorways/dualcarriagways to use the hazard lights when encountering an unexpected traffic jam/accident site etc. This signals to the driver(s) behind that your vehicle will be slowing down unexpectedly and preparing to come to a full stop in a location otherwise not suitable for stopping a car. The use of hazard lights by taxi driver or other professional drivers is to warn drivers behind that an unexpected manoevre *may* about to be made with little or no warning.

Obviously this involves use of the brake lights, otherwise you're not bringing the car to a stop so that comment is complete bollocks. The difference between this and simply using the indicator is that in Ireland indicators are rarely paid any attention and you get drivers riding right up your hole when about to make a turn/manoevre. The use of the hazard lights acts as an extra way to indicate the suddeness of a particular action, sadly it is often needed in this country because people often don't accord each other the time & space to execute some traffic manoevres. The reason you don't see buses doing it often is that each and every bus stopping point is clearly designated well in advance - a fact that won't have escaped the good drivers on this forum. Ergo a bus does not have to apply hazard lights when pulling into a bus stop.

From the tone and nature of the original post and some subsequent back-slapping replies it is quite obvious that the intent of the poster was to criticise taxi drivers in general and not really about making a point regarding the use/non-use of hazard warning lights. Get over the BS lads. They're not perfect, but then as a driver neither are you. Stop thinking like a 21yr old.

Saruman

Originally posted by redoxan
They dont wear seat-belts so they can escape from the Taxi if they get attacked.

True, got a taxi recently and he did not put his seatbelt on till both of us did and he realised we were just 2 nice guys going to the airport so he was happy to wear it then.

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by MojoMaker
Most of you guys have never driven outside of Ireland have you? And, no, I don't mean hiring a car for a week on the Costa del Sol.

The use of hazard warning lights is very common throughout Europe as an indication of rapid deceleration with a view to coming to a stop. For example it is accepted road etiquette on French & Spanish motorways/dualcarriagways to use the hazard lights when encountering an unexpected traffic jam/accident site etc. This signals to the driver(s) behind that your vehicle will be slowing down unexpectedly and preparing to come to a full stop in a location otherwise not suitable for stopping a car. The use of hazard lights by taxi driver or other professional drivers is to warn drivers behind that an unexpected manoevre *may* about to be made with little or no warning.

That is all well and good but I believe we are not in France or Spain. We are in Ireland and despite the fact that most Irish drivers can't drive for s**t, this does not give taxi drivers a green flag to import foreign methods.

Furthermore, many taxi drivers hit the hazards as they are stopping (often v. quickly), not because of a hazard but because they are picking up a fare. They are creating a hazard by parking in the middle of moving traffic but the way they stop is just downright dangerous to other road users and should not be tolerated by any road users.

MojoMaker

Agreed - taxi driver's driving is often appalling, but that wasn't the point of the thread. For those you that wandered off topic into the realm of slagging taxi drivers (again) there was a reminder that the topic was about the use of hazard lights, which was explained I think. If you want to start a thread slagging them off at least don't hide behind a reasonable subject.

Most of them are quite poor drivers as far as observation, awareness, and courtesy go, no doubt about that.