Signalling sounds straightforward — flick the indicator, complete the turn, move on. But incorrect signalling is one of the most misunderstood areas of the UK driving test. Both signalling when you should not and failing to signal when you should can lead to faults. The key is knowing when a signal genuinely communicates useful information.
What Examiners Look For
Your examiner assesses signalling as part of the broader observation and planning category. They want to see that signals are used purposefully — to communicate your intentions to other road users who need that information.
Signals must be given in good time. A signal that appears half a second before you turn gives no one enough time to react. Most instructors teach signalling as soon as you have completed your mirror check and confirmed your intention to manoeuvre.
Examiners also check that you only signal when it benefits someone. This catches learners out in two ways. Some forget to signal at obvious junctions where pedestrians or drivers are waiting. Others signal obsessively when turning into an empty residential road at midnight — technically not a fault, but it reveals a lack of understanding of why signals exist.
Signal cancellation matters more than most learners expect. An indicator left on after a turn misleads following drivers and can cause them to hesitate at the next junction. Examiners notice uncancelled signals, particularly on roundabouts.
The 5 DVSA Levels for Signalling
Level 1: Introduced
You know what signals are and can operate the indicator stalk. You may signal inconsistently or only when reminded by your instructor.
Level 2: Helped
With prompting, you signal before most manoeuvres. Timing may be late and you may forget to cancel. The routine is instructor-dependent at this stage.
Level 3: Prompted
You signal most of the time but still need occasional reminders — particularly at quieter junctions where there seems to be no one around. Cancellation is improving but not yet automatic.
Level 4: Independent
You signal consistently and in good time without reminders. You have begun to make judgements about when a signal is genuinely needed and when it is not. Cancellation is reliable.
Level 5: Reflection
Test-ready standard. Signalling is fully integrated into the MSM routine. You can explain your signalling decisions — why you did or did not signal in a given situation — and your timing is consistently appropriate. Signals are never misleading.
The Technique: When, When Not, and How
When You Must Signal
Signal whenever another road user will benefit from knowing your intentions. This includes:
- Turning left or right at a junction, unless the road is entirely clear of other traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians
- Pulling away from the kerb — always signal, as you cannot guarantee nothing is approaching
- Changing lanes on a dual carriageway or multi-lane road
- Overtaking a parked vehicle or moving obstacle if other traffic could be affected
- Pulling over to the left to stop — signal left to warn following drivers
When You Should Not Signal
This is where many learners get it wrong. Signalling when there is genuinely no one to benefit is not dangerous, but it shows poor judgement. More importantly, a misplaced signal can be actively misleading:
- Do not signal left at a roundabout exit if there is no one behind you on that approach
- Do not signal at a fork or filter lane when your lane already makes your direction obvious
- Never give a signal that suggests you are turning when you are not — even briefly
Timing: Early Enough, Not Too Early
On a straight road with one clear junction, signal 3 to 4 car lengths before the turn. On a road with two junctions close together, wait until you have passed the first before signalling for the second. Signalling too early at close junctions is one of the most common sources of misleading signals on test.
Signal Cancellation
After every left turn, glance at your instrument cluster or listen for the ticking to confirm the indicator has self-cancelled. Indicators reliably self-cancel after left turns — they are less reliable after gentle right turns and roundabout exits. Make cancellation a deliberate check, not an assumption.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Why It Happens | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Signalling too late | Concentrating on positioning instead of the MSM sequence | Complete the mirror check earlier so signalling has time to be useful |
| Forgetting to cancel after roundabouts | Self-cancellation is unreliable at shallow exit angles | Build a “check indicator” step into your post-manoeuvre routine |
| Signalling when no one benefits | Taught as a rule without understanding the reasoning | Ask: “Is there someone who needs this information?” before every signal |
| Misleading signal at close junctions | Signalling for the second junction before passing the first | Delay the signal until the first junction is behind you |
| Signalling before mirrors | Getting excited about the manoeuvre and skipping the MSM order | Verbalise: “Mirror, mirror, signal” to reinforce the sequence |
Practice Tips
Identify who your signal is for. Before every signal in practice, briefly name who you are communicating with — “the pedestrian waiting to cross”, “the driver behind me”, “the cyclist on my left.” This builds decision-making rather than automatic indicator-flicking.
Practise roundabouts separately. Roundabout signalling is its own skill — signal left to exit, but only if it helps someone on that approach. Your instructor can walk you through common roundabout layouts until the logic clicks.
Use quiet estates for timing drills. On a quiet residential road, practise signalling at different distances from the junction and ask your instructor for feedback on whether the timing was useful or too early.
Check self-cancellation after every turn. Make it a habit to glance down after every turn. You will catch uncancelled signals before they become a fault.
Debrief every junction. After a lesson, go through 3 or 4 junctions you encountered and ask: did I signal? Was the timing right? Did I cancel? This reflection accelerates improvement faster than repetition alone.
Track Your Progress
Signalling faults are easy to miss in the moment but easy to spot in a lesson debrief. Tracking which junctions caused hesitation — too late, forgot to cancel, signalled unnecessarily — gives you a targeted practice plan rather than just more laps of the same route.
MyDriveSchool lets instructors log signalling faults by type and location after each lesson, so patterns become visible before they become test failures.
Related Skills
- Mirrors & the MSM Routine (Skill 8) — signals always follow mirrors; make sure the sequence is solid before working on timing
- Anticipation and Planning (Skill 10) — reading the road early gives you more time to decide whether a signal is needed
- Observation & Signalling Skills — browse all skills in this category