I used to run into this all the time trying to cross a two lane street with my dog. They would try to waive me across enthusiastically and I would be like "there are two lanes of traffic and you are only blocking one of them"
Are they in the nearest lane to you, in that scenario? My understanding of how to handle this is to enter the near lane, and drivers in farther lanes are supposed to stop as you approach.
Of course, I'm fine with someone waiting, because safety. But I don't see waving them across as incorrect.
Drivers are not supposed to stop to let pedestrians cross wherever they please. Not to mention the near Lane vehicle generates a blind spot that prevents farlane vehicles from seeing you even if you assumed that all drivers are Good Samaritans who are not in a hurry
OMG, I detest when people give up their right of way. I only look at your window when I noticed you didn't go. I'm not looking for or expecting a hand wave. I'm watching your tires and your speed, not the driver. I'm waiting. Take the right of way. It's yours. Get out of the way. Fucking GO!
It's even worse when I'm riding a bicycle or walking and they wave me through, because they think they're being nice and I'm being an asshole for not trusting them. No, I don't want to get hit by all the cars that are whipping around you while you hold up traffic. Especially if I have the stop sign.
I'm all for being nice and generous on the road, but after a while I've come to believe that the most dangerous thing you can do is create a situation that others don't expect, regardless of intentions.
I got this note that I'm supposed to post in reply to this image?
"Randall,
Future Randall is still mad about the ice cream you didn't save for tomorrow. Also, thanks for announcing this, the assassins that were hired will have to have tried something else.
I really hate this as a pedestrian! I don't need you, Nice Motorist, to stop for me. I didn't ask for it. It's actually more dangerous for me to cross now, rather than wait 10 more seconds for traffic to clear on its own
everybody thinks "time assassins would never come after me!" waving someone ahead when it's not their turn feels like holding the door for them, but as you negotiate a new legal code using only gestures and facial expressions, you get tunnel vision. neither of you sees the oncoming bus.
This week’s driver with suicidal wish: person in right hand northbound lane who cut across cars in the two lanes to his left to then cut off a driver in the northbound left turn lane, made a u-turn cutting off three southbound cars and an eastbound car, before settling in southbound.
Drivers who do this and wave you through inside their car are the worst. Use your headlights to get my attention. The inside of your vehicle is a black box to me.
More fundamentally: don't buck assumptions. If you have the right-of-way, then TAKE IT. Just like everyone nearby anticipates you to do. Anything else invites confusion and bent metal.
As a cyclist, I want to show appreciation to any driver who even acknowledges my existance let alone tries to be nice to me, but I often have to pretend I can't see them waving me into danger.
I had someone recently rage and honk at me for not taking their kind offer of right of way (I was stopped at a stop sign with my foot on the ground, and they had no stop sign.)
My objection is always that it's impossible for me to tell when they might change their mind and take the right-of-way after all. Second-guessing and avoiding games of chicken is why this is a thing to begin with.
This but for kids. Do not stop and let kids cross! Saw a child was almost creamed by an on coming car and the child has no agency to wave a car through.
For real I hate this shit!!! I get people are trying to be nice, but they're just ruining the flow of traffic and causing confusion. Way more dangerous as well!
I fucking hate when people do this, especially on a two lane. “Look how nice and courteous I’m being to this one guy, by holding up the 17 people behind me trying to get to work”
My brother got clobbered by someone doing this. The people were okay, car wasn't, guy who waved him in drove off and the police tracked him down later ruling him responsible for the accident.
yes. If you have the right of way: use it. As slowly as caution requires and as quickly as not to make anyone wait. And in a velocity that doesn't make anyone think you'd be letting them go first.
this really needs to be part of the driving test or something. also, just in general, i wish people would realize that being nice instead of just following the rules of the road usually just makes things worse for everyone and isn't actually nice.
i distinctly remember a question on the test that referenced a rule that states that a driver is specifically prohibited from waving over other participants
then again, there's no "right of way" here either, it's a different system
The written test in Utah is open-book if you've ever had a driving license before (renewing, moving from different state/country). It's probably too easy, based on the driving behavior here. :|
yeah, same when i did it. plus you don't even have to take a class or anything if you're over 18. and even if you failed the written portion, they'd let you redo it right away, at which point you'd just remember what you got wrong.
only possible hard part was actually driving, but even then, ez
It would be yes, but if they actually did make the driving test difficult, and necessary to do each time, a very large portion of the US would fail. Sadly, the US is not designed for a significant chunk of the population unable to drive, no matter how unsafe.
Plus, they think they're being nice to one person but they're being mean to all the people stuck behind the guy who is obviously in no hurry to get where he is going.
Except that it was a right turn lane, that's exactly why a high-schooler in his challenger he just had repaired from his last accident pulled out in front of me.
This actually happened where I live - somebody stopped to wave a driver out of the street where they were waiting & they got T-boned by a car coming the other way.
I've had this accident happen while I was waiting at a light. Bad idea. There's a spot by my house where I see this happen so I rock the right lane every time.
Had a sister in law get hit in this exact situation and the cop gave her the ticket despite being the car with the right of way and no way to see the turning car.
This often breaks the flow of traffic, meaning it ends up costing everyone time. The crazy thing is how offended people get when you wave them back, like they are genuinely convinced you should appreciate the gesture.
This happens even more often when you’re on a bike. People also get more offended when you don’t accept their offer to ride into speeding traffic and die.
My favorite is the car that gets halfway across a busy street, discovers me (a pedestrian) on the corner, and just stops in the middle of the street and waves me across in front of them with 1.5 lanes buffer.
I turn around so they'll cross. No, I won't be party to your t-bone accident, thank you.
it's true. i try to take it as it's intended, and it sure beats the coal-rolling brodozer trying to side swipe me off the road, but as politely as i try to decline, it tends to go from "generous" to "FURIOUS at what an ASSHOLE i am to reject their GIFT" in about 4 seconds.
If I detect this scenario to be likely, I avert my eyes and don't make eye contact with the waver (or would-be waver). But then there's the thought that they'll be super angry at me for being an absent minded cyclist who doesn't pay any attention to the road.
Assuming 4-way stop: If I’m crossing their path, I aim my bike at their back wheel and proceed slowly. Then I waggle my head to say “no, you go, and we both win”
THIS. I hate it so much. often I can't even see the driver waving at me through the glare in their windshield. please, for the love of god, just learn how right if way works and use it when it's yours!!
I end up emphatically waving back to say “Look, I already came to a full stop, the last thing I want to now do is start immediately back up and feel indebted to you because I’m slowing you down. Instead, call your state legislator and ask them to vote for the Idaho Stop if you feel I should go!”
Yes yes yes. Good intentions, but not helpful. I think I deal with even more people who don't stop for me (which is good) but then slow to like 15 mph I guess to signal they are being safe(?) around me? Like, keep going, I'm waiting for you to pass. I will get off my soapbox now
The last town I lived in had this problem with people stopping suddenly to let a golf cart cross and it always baffled me because it's not like they'd do that for a Honda Civic on a random side street
I will drive in a safe and predictable manner. I can’t see what others can see and don’t accept liability for them so will not wave or honk anyone into anything. The safest and most predictable thing I can do is use the right of way when I have it.
There’s a part in Rock Creek where I always scream “KEEP GOING! YOU DON’T HAVE A FUCKING STOP SIGN” to people who just decide to let folks who do have a stop sign take a turn. I’m thinking about taking a day of leave just to stand at that intersection with a sign that says “Keep Going, Dumbass.”
Also, car that's five car lengths away from the cross walk and rolling at 2-5mph and waving me across. No, I'm not crossing in front of your moving vehicle, I do not have that kind of faith in your brakes, or your tires, or the road surface.
As a permanent pedestrian who can rarely clearly see through a windshield, I really really appreciate the use of the quick headlight blink to acknowledge my presence.
right? that's another thing. often as not, someone frantically gesturing for me to go ahead looks, from outside their car, completely indistinguishable from someone putting the finishing touch on a text message with their foot already resting lightly on the gas pedal.
What about just being grateful, but still not disregarding all traffic laws? Like just stop at the sight line, you will be fine, and you even followed traffic regulations
Omg the time traveling assassin frequently tries to get us at school pickup. Yessir thank you for completely stopping traffic in one direction but unfortunately traffic has not stopped in the other direction so I cannot in fact walk my children into the street!
Is that a New England thing? I had a number of cars do that when I was in RI last year, first time I've driven in NE since '90. I've rarely ever seen people do that before.
God I hate this. A similar thing happens to me at an intersection with a two-way stop sign. It should be a four way stop bc cars which line the street make it impossible to look left and right from the stop sign and it’s busy. Drivers sometimes stop and wave me on, which is not safe.
we have a couple of 4 lane roads w cross streets, drivers waiting at the 4 lane lights insist on leaving a path across, & there are accidents -every week-
just line up, do not be “nice” & open up a gap for ppl turning left across
Man, I've got a lot of assassins after my ass. The left turn into my complex used to be an absolute nightmare. Lost a fender to a "helpful" person and after that when somebody waved me to make the turn, I'd just shake my head and sometimes cover my eyes as if to say I CAN'T SEE THROUGH YOU, BONEHEAD
This is even super fun when people honk at blind ppl standing at corners to cross- they are there listening for traffic and idling cars are a masking sound for the rest of the intersection. They are taught not to move
#Disabilities #Awareness
The opposite of this is when people behind your car get unreasonably upset at you for not turning at a stop sign or right on red when they cannot see the traffic and you can.
They can be awfully persistent if you don't accept their "gift". My hack for this is I just look away. Deny the driver eye contact and they quickly give up. Works great as a driver and even better as a pedestrian.
My favorite is when someone waves a single car to go out of turn while like 15 others are stuck behind them. You aren't being nice to the one, you are being an asshole to the 15.
Title text: "This PSA brought to you by several would-be assassins who tried to wave me in front of speeding cars in the last month and who will have to try harder next time."
You (orange car) move up to the centerline area, to the left of the crossover opening, and stay THERE until you can see beyond the Hitachi Wand Semi that the lane is clear
While you're there waiting, the rest of the traffic in the left turn lane can go (red)
Orange and red would cross each other "just somewhere", that's not possible.
Orange should just stay on the right, give red the right of way and then turn left.
But, yes, from gap in the middle isle.
Correct, but it CAN wave them up into position to where they can see the left lane on that route and wait for an open spot to merge into, without impeding the left turning vehicles trying to get to the feeder road we came out from
It can be a win/win if everyone is on the same page
No, because that would undermine & remove *the entire point of letting the orange car move up in the first place* by having the left turning lane cross in front of it on the way
You may as well stay put in the first configuration if you're gonna insist on THAT silliness
Which is why I was very specific in saying the drivers' side of the orange car should snuggle up to the median on their left, allowing both line of sight for everyone involved, but a clear travel path for both lanes
Comments
I used to run into this all the time trying to cross a two lane street with my dog. They would try to waive me across enthusiastically and I would be like "there are two lanes of traffic and you are only blocking one of them"
Of course, I'm fine with someone waiting, because safety. But I don't see waving them across as incorrect.
Also, many pedestrian crossings only involve two lanes in opposing directions. Near lane doesn't obstruct, there.
"Randall,
Future Randall is still mad about the ice cream you didn't save for tomorrow. Also, thanks for announcing this, the assassins that were hired will have to have tried something else.
Randall"
What does all this mean?
i distinctly remember a question on the test that referenced a rule that states that a driver is specifically prohibited from waving over other participants
then again, there's no "right of way" here either, it's a different system
only possible hard part was actually driving, but even then, ez
drivers ed here just lets u skip a portion of the test, iirc, it's farm style laws and rules
I was turning left, and a driver in backed up traffic in the closest opposite lane waved me through, but I got hit by someone in the other lane.
not only is it not courteous. It actually causes more traffic.
no problem: 45 mph is 50 feet per heartbeat
I approve
I turn around so they'll cross. No, I won't be party to your t-bone accident, thank you.
just line up, do not be “nice” & open up a gap for ppl turning left across
it’s not great as a pedestrian either!
#Disabilities #Awareness
Or do people blindly just go?
Never again.
Alt text: https://explainxkcd.com/2932#Transcript
I think it SHOULD be:
You (orange car) move up to the centerline area, to the left of the crossover opening, and stay THERE until you can see beyond the Hitachi Wand Semi that the lane is clear
While you're there waiting, the rest of the traffic in the left turn lane can go (red)
Orange should just stay on the right, give red the right of way and then turn left.
But, yes, from gap in the middle isle.
It can be a win/win if everyone is on the same page
You may as well stay put in the first configuration if you're gonna insist on THAT silliness
I do everything I can to avoid those left-across-median turns because of that chaos, I'd rather go right and then make a U turn or find a light.