Strange Gesture

[gerund]

I've been watching YouTube videos of bad drivers in various parts of the USA. Of course it blows my mind how the drivers there are oblivious, how they can't follow lanes, how they run stop signs and red lights and conversely how they stop at green lights.

Of course it was only a matter of time until I saw it happen here in Australia.

There is an entrance to a major shopping centre that has had the same traffic light system for about 20 years. The entrance is about half way along the block and is visible from the lights at the end of the block. They work like this - there is a red light for the straight through traffic and a red arrow for the turn across oncoming traffic. The cars that are not turning get a green, but the arrow stays red.

Then about 15 seconds later, the red arrow disappears and there is only a green light. Obviously you can then turn if there is no oncoming traffic.

So I am sitting at the lights 200 meters or 720 feet away (measured on Google maps) watching this car stopped at the red arrow. The red arrow disappeared about the time I started to move from that corner and the car sitting at the green was still there when I arrived behind her. All this time there had been no oncoming traffic.

So I sounded my warning device. (IE my horn). The lady in that car stuck her hand out of the window, with her palm up, all fingers and thumb spread and pointing up, and gestured with her hand in an upwards motion.

Something like if you were holding a small melon one handed and pushing it towards the sky slowly.

What does that mean?
A) Up yours X 5?
B) Sorry for blocking the road, I hope you like rockmelons?
C) I want to say something rude but I don't know the gesture?
D) Stop blowing your horn at me, it makes me want to pee?
E) All of the above?
F) Other? Specify.

[Kaylyn]

I just mimicked that gesture and I would use it similarly at some point between throwing my hands up in exasperation and half-clenching my fist in frustration. Where I want to show impatience or annoyance at another driver without resorting to rude gestures. But since she was sitting there like a dumbass (unless she was having car trouble that you couldn't be aware of from behind her...hey, I once had cars honking at me when I had hazards on and was getting out of the car in the middle of the road to fix my fuel filter that wasn't seated properly...can they not smell the gasoline pouring out or...?) then she needs to stop daydreaming and drive her damn car and quit getting mad at you for alerting her to that fact.

[gerund]

then she needs to stop daydreaming and drive her damn car and quit getting mad at you for alerting her to that fact.

She was moving when she made the gesture, so she was not broken down.

[Kaylyn]

She was moving when she made the gesture, so she was not broken down.

Ah, yeah. Then she needs to pay attention and not get mad because you alerted her to such.

But at least she got going. I once had a woman actually get out of her car and come yell at me in the middle of the road because I honked at her because she was backing up onto me (she was trying to let someone make a turn from the left lane to the right in front of her). I have no idea what she was thinking.

[MoonCat]

I suspect that was her own personal gesture for, "Can't you see I'm busy on my phone and I'll move when I'm damn good and ready?!"

[Aragarthiel]

It seems like a way to say "Shove it!"

[gerund]

Can't you see I'm busy on my phone

In Queensland it's illegal to drive* with a mobile phone in your hand. It's even illegal for a passenger to have a mobile on speaker if you are a Provisional driver (P-Plates).

Unfortunately our police do not spend much time stopping drivers for that offence. You are only in danger of a ticket if you have an accident. Many times it is a moot point as you are in a hospital or morgue afterwards.

I have seen ordinary drivers, professional drivers and even bus drivers on a mobile while they are driving.

*Driving includes "Stopped at traffic lights"

[MoonCat]

It's illegal in many states in the US, too, but that doesn't mean people don't do it. Sometimes when I'm waiting for a bus I watch the cars going by and count how many people I see holding a phone in their hands (what? so I'm weird). It's a depressingly large number, some days.

[notalwaysright]

I agree, the gesture was probably along the lines of "how dare you?! Can't you see I was busy!" It's similar to the idiots who cut someone off and while they're doing it they stick their hand out the window to flip the other car off.

Mooncat, I do stuff like that too. There is a coffee shop I like which sits up from the street a bit. You can sit at the bar and look right down into cars. I see how many people aren't wearing seat belts. It's a lot.

[Aragarthiel]

My father-in-law is a truck driver and likes to tell stories about the latest idiots he's seen on the road, since he can look down into vehicles. He's seen his fair share of lower body parts, and even once told us about an apparent orgy someone was having in the driver's seat. I have no idea how that guy pulled that off, especially without wrecking!

[wolfie]

In Queensland it's illegal to drive* with a mobile phone in your hand. It's even illegal for a passenger to have a mobile on speaker if you are a Provisional driver (P-Plates).

WTF? The DRIVER can be ticketed for something the PASSENGER is doing?

[Mikkel]

WTF? The DRIVER can be ticketed for something the PASSENGER is doing?

I'd guess that the passenger with a provisional driver is responsible for the driving and therefore a driver himself. It's the same with driver instructors here in Denmark. The instructor is responsible for the driving and will get the ticket if the student does anything illegal.

[notalwaysright]

I'd guess that the passenger with a provisional driver is responsible for the driving and therefore a driver himself. It's the same with driver instructors here in Denmark. The instructor is responsible for the driving and will get the ticket if the student does anything illegal.

I'm not 100% on this, but I thought I heard that if you're pulled over and the cop sees a passenger not wearing their seat belt, the driver gets the ticket. I think the logic is that if there had been an accident, the driver's insurance would pay for it? Again, this is just something I remember from a long time ago. I turn into an uber-bitch if someone in my car doesn't put on their seat belt. Well. I guess all I do is refuse to drive, but still.

On the other hand, I think speaker phone is legal here.

[Shalom]

I'm not 100% on this, but I thought I heard that if you're pulled over and the cop sees a passenger not wearing their seat belt, the driver gets the ticket.

In this jurisdiction (NJ), any passenger over 18 not wearing the seat belt will get their own ticket; the driver gets ticketed for him/herself and anyone 17 or less.

(In New York, it's more complicated. Anyone in the front seat, and anyone under 16 regardless of position, have to be belted. Unbelted drivers are fined $100; passengers 16 and older get their own fines of $50; if there's anyone under 16 not belted, the driver gets fined $100.)

[gerund]

I'm not 100% on this, but I thought I heard that if you're pulled over and the cop sees a passenger not wearing their seat belt, the driver gets the ticket.

That's what happens here in Queensland. The driver is responsible for all the passengers and if you drive the car with one of them not wearing their seatbelt, you get the ticket. It's simple for me - I refuse to let the car move if they don't put on their seatbelt. I will sit there forever and wait to see who rusts first.

It's a pretty simple thing really. Before you drive off you glance around the car and make sure all your passengers are belted up.