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.
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”
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.
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.
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.
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
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!”
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!!
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.
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."
Alt text: https://explainxkcd.com/2932#Transcript
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.
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.
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
oh yah I didn't have to take a class as a 15yo, my dad just taught me-
drivers ed here just lets u skip a portion of the test, iirc, it's farm style laws and rules
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. :|
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.
No wonder it isn't recognized here.
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
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.
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!
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.)
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
