Was I the sucky driver?

[An Haddock]

Driving home a couple of nights ago I encountered a guy who was "too nice" in letting me make a turn. This is a pet peeve of mine - when someone knowingly disrupts traffic to "be nice" while holding up things for everyone else. So was I the sucky driver to get irritated?

Diagrams! We have diagrams!





I'm in the red car, trying to make a left. The oval-shaped thing is a gaudy fountain in the middle of the main street in town.

The guy in the purple car stops to let me turn. He is now holding up traffic for the 2 or 3 cars behind him. Plus I CAN'T turn yet anyway because I could see the pedestrians approaching the intersection who clearly wanted to walk across, so I would have had to have waited anyway before turning.

So now purple car guy is holding up traffic even longer since I can't turn because of the pedestrians in the crosswalk. (NJ has very strict pedestrian crosswalk laws)

I should have just driven forward and doubled back, but I finally took the turn when it became clear he was insisting on me going.


If the guy had just proceeded, by the time the pedestrians had crossed he and the cars behind him would be gone.


Was I a sucky driver to get irritated by his refusal to obey simple traffic laws and holding up the show? If there was a line of some 20 cars behind him, I would have appreciated the gesture. But I don't mind waiting for 3 cars.

[ReverendBSB]

Not sucky at all. This kind of thing pisses me off all the time.

[wolfie]

Definitely not sucky. On a number of occasions, I have waved people forward in situations where I had the right of way - but they were sitting in a space I needed to go through in order to complete my manouver.

[An Haddock]

Thanks - I feel better.

And what's the deal with airline peanuts?

[siskaren]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by this sort of thing.

[EricKei]

And what's the deal with airline peanuts?

They're to help you recover after teleportation, of course.

[csquared]

Here is something to think about.

The other driver stops. Waves you to turn in front of them. As you are turning, he stomps on the gas pedal and rams you.

Who is at fault?

Without a witness to prove otherwise, you failed to yield.

[EricKei]

Well, if he hit the pedal fast enough to lay down some rubber, maayyyybe it would be provable; next to impossible otherwise. Besides, don't most cars these days have black boxes the police can access?

[Catwoman2965]

No you were not bad to be annoyed. A friend of mine got hit when someone did that to her. Two lanes coming in the opposite direction, and she was turhning left into a gas station. Also in NJ, so you know there are not many dedicated left turn lanes on most smaller roads, you just get in the left one, and turn when you can.

So the car in the outer opposite lane waved her on to go, and she went, and got hit by a car in the right lane who DIDN'T stop.

I get honked at frequently at one intersection near me, same setup, and I turn left at the light. Which doesn't have a left turn arrow. So light turns green, and you go. Problem is, there's just a very slight elevation it creates a blind spot, so if there's a car turning left on the other side, its VERY hard to see if anyone is a. behind him, or b. coming up in the right lane. So many times I'll just wait for the traffic to turn, instead of going, and risking getting smashed by a car in the right lane, going straight.

[RealUnimportant]

Annoys me too. Funny thing though, that used to be the required method of approaching such a turn in New Zealand - on the opposite side, of course!

[Nunavut Pants]

Besides, don't most cars these days have black boxes the police can access?

Not yet! Some (many?) new ones do, but accessing them isn't trivial. But most cars on the road are old enough not to.

My further thoughts on the subject should be redirected to Fratching, though.

[wolfie]

Here is something to think about.

The other driver stops. Waves you to turn in front of them. As you are turning, he stomps on the gas pedal and rams you.

Who is at fault?

Without a witness to prove otherwise, you failed to yield.

And that's one of the reasons dashcams are so popular.

[notalwaysright]

And that's one of the reasons dashcams are so popular.

When I have some extra money I'm planning on getting one. Too many weird incidents lately. I saw a some videos from I believe the UK showing people attempting to cause rear-end collisions by slamming on the breaks for no reason. Very scary!

[Docmayhem]

As with others here, this is a pet peeve of mine.

He wasn't being polite, he was being unpredictable, thereby creating a hazard.

[Deserted]

When I have some extra money I'm planning on getting one. Too many weird incidents lately.

I wouldn't wait. The one I bought from Mall-wart is $33.33 (I paid $40 two years ago), or they have one for $18 if money is that tight (video resolution is lower, but it's better than nothing).

I saw a some videos from I believe the UK showing people attempting to cause rear-end collisions by slamming on the breaks for no reason. Very scary!

You can find an amazing number of videos showing exactly this, on Youtube and elsewhere. There's a fairly-well-known one from back in March where a driver does a brake check, and the tailgater panics, loses control, and wrecks in the median.