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Fri 21 Jan, 2005 06:38 am
I get so annoyed when people ignore traffic rules, and common sense, in an effort to be polite. If I pull up to an intersection and someone else clearly has the right of way, I don't want to be waved on. It just causes confusion. Or people who signal turns for people in front of them...what's that all about? Or pulling over for funeral processions on an interstate...??? Is this just a regional thing?
So, what do you do then when two drivers arrive at an intersection at the same time? Who has the right of way?
Politeness and courtesy are essential in an instance like this? Yes?
In Pennsylvania, the driver on the right has the right of way.
Think of a clock:
12 o'clock has the right of way over 3.
3 has the right of way over 6
6 beats 9
and 9 beats midnight.
It's my understanding that the person on the right goes first if you arrive at the same time. If the cars are directly across from each other, a person going straight on has the right of way, if one is turning. If both are turning to go the same direction on a street, the person turning right goes first. Simple.
It is simple. But around here one lane is often blocked by parked cars and so folks may have to drive for longer than they would like on the wrong side of the road. Thankfully, most drivers use courtesy and will yield the right of way to a car who doesn't have it simply because it is the safer thing to do.
That's not how it works in the UK or Ireland - not simple, just courtesy.
I live in Boston, our idea of being polite is not giving the finger and only beeping the horn!! (or should I say laying on the horn for 5 minutes or so!)
My husband does this, it drives me insane. He doesn't have a good sense of traffic flow, he doesn't really pay attention to what's going on until he's actually stopped. So he's stopped, they're stopped, he doesn't know who stopped first, he waves them on, they pause (you know how people always pause to see if you're serious/ what the next move is), he doesn't notice, he doesn't do anything, they're not sure what his problem is (especially when he has right of way) he waves them on again...
ARGH
I'm not saying I'm a perfect driver but this is one thing that makes me absolutely batty.
Crazielady420 wrote:I live in Boston, our idea of being polite is not giving the finger and only beeping the horn!! (or should I say laying on the horn for 5 minutes or so!)
Hence the term we use here in Michigan "Boston Drive" --to drive defensively.
sozobe wrote:My husband does this, it drives me insane. He doesn't have a good sense of traffic flow, he doesn't really pay attention to what's going on until he's actually stopped. So he's stopped, they're stopped, he doesn't know who stopped first, he waves them on, they pause (you know how people always pause to see if you're serious/ what the next move is), he doesn't notice, he doesn't do anything, they're not sure what his problem is (especially when he has right of way) he waves them on again...
Exactly the behaviour I'm talking about!
How about when you stop and tell some to go (wave them on") and then they say no you go, then you both slowly edge out and nobody goes for a few minutes, then you alost hit each other!!!
Maybe it just happens to me
Crazielady420 wrote:How about when you stop and tell some to go (wave them on") and then they say no you go, then you both slowly edge out and nobody goes for a few minutes, then you alost hit each other!!
Crazie: we don't have that problem over here. We get out of the car and hit them! We don't want to hit them with the car - that costs too much to fix. :wink:
interesting... about two months ago, a man shot the woman driving in behind him because of road rage.. appearently she was riding to close to him and he got mad and as he said "his gun accidentally discharged and his her point blank in the face while driving on the highway at at least 70 mph)
Hey, there's as much "chance" of that story being true as there is for the story of "Evolutrion" being a scientific fact!
I'm likely to believe the road rage incident first!!!
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