Dumb Courteous Drivers

[MarkvW]

When a driver with the right of way, and a stick of other cars behind him, stops to let me go through an intersection it frustrates me!

Why inconvenience all the other drivers?
Why introduce unnecessary uncertainty into the traffic equation?
And what about the impatient butthead who wants to zoom around the "courteous" driver?


Just venting!

 

[ElChingon]

What? What are you one of those people that enforces the right of way rule?

I personally make drivers be Dumb Courteous Drivers all the time, one milisecond or even a picosecond of delay/hesitation by any driver and I roll through, times a wasting! And my momentum

 

[Arnout]

What? What are you one of those people that enforces the right of way rule?

I personally make drivers be Dumb Courteous Drivers all the time, one milisecond or even a picosecond of delay/hesitation by any driver and I roll through, times a wasting! And my momentum

I doubt its entirely serious but anyway, here's your answer why cyclists are hated by motorists.

Imagine even 1 out of 10 motorists to ride like this... Now 1 out of every 100 does and he gets all the hate in this board...

 

[ElChingon]

Well I for one do not enjoy playing Track Sprint Match at stop signs, most drivers who drive correctly take their right of way rights and move on and keep traffic moving, including bike traffic. Then there's the "I can't decide/determine who stopped first" drivers who hit the brakes, tap the gas, hit the brakes till someone decides. I happen to make decisions much faster than those and keep at the very least myself moving along. I won't go into the ones who just sit at the stop sign with their mouth open (aka fly catchers), pedal on.

 

[Mr.DNA]

I refuse to go if the car has the right of way. Otherwise I envision a scenario where I get hit and a witness truthfully testifies that I went out of turn. Then I'm injured and at fault.

Of course with the way most cyclists ride around here, it's hard to blame the motorist for thinking I'm going to demand the right of way.

 

[MarkvW]

Well I for one do not enjoy playing Track Sprint Match at stop signs, most drivers who drive correctly take their right of way rights and move on and keep traffic moving, including bike traffic. Then there's the "I can't decide/determine who stopped first" drivers who hit the brakes, tap the gas, hit the brakes till someone decides. I happen to make decisions much faster than those and keep at the very least myself moving along. I won't go into the ones who just sit at the stop sign with their mouth open (aka fly catchers), pedal on.

That approach can work if it's just you and the other guy, but with multiple cars things can get real stupid, really fast.

 

[Fowsto Cope-E]

I hate it when you come to a stop because the car has the right of way and then they decide to wave you through, as if they are actually doing you a favor at this point

 

[Cobblestoned]

No matter what kind of vehicle I use, bike, motorrad, boat or car - there are always mostly dumb people out there, on all kinds of vehicles. Some are even dumber.

Also saw many dumb people on bikes, especially on racebikes.

 

[usedtobefast]

I hate it when you come to a stop because the car has the right of way and then they decide to wave you through, as if they are actually doing you a favor at this point

i make them go first. they are faster than me. i appreciate the courtesy, but yell at them to go ahead.

 

[ustabe]

I'm for waiting for them to take their right of way, unless they've come to a complete stop and they're waving me through. It's the adult thing to do. And I haven't been hit by a car while on a bike in 35 years.

But I do wish they'd just cautiously take their right of way.

 

[Wallace]

Seattle is home to the Stop Sign/Hallway Monitor Moron. You arrive at a four way intersection. Some guy/girl who has right of way sees you and waves you on to go ahead of him/her, even though there are other cars waiting for him/her. So if you go, so the other cars--who might not have seen the idiot wave you through, think you're a jerk who pays no attention to the road laws--and that's the best result (if you go)--the other is that the people waiting for their rightful turn don't understand why the idiot isn't going and drive right into you. This sounds a little complex, but it happens to me almost every day. So I stop, put both feet on the ground and wait for the idiot to go. It's amazing how long some of these morons will wave at you to go, go, go, even though you're shaking your head and not moving. I think it's a kind of passive/aggressive "I am taking control of this intersection" hall monitor kind of thing. By stopping everyone and trying to make you go first, they're asserting their control over this little piece of road. It's unbelievably annoying.

 

[Master50]

I should appreciate the break I get when they stop for a green light as I say. I keep feeling like I am being treated like a child riding a toy. I want to be just another vehicle. I struggle all the time to ride like I am operating a vehicle so I wish I would just be treated like one. I am sure that someday someone will get rear ended when they stop for me. Hey I suppose if the courtesy was common enough that people stopped for cars I might appreciate it more.
Never actually thought I'd complain about overly courteous drivers

 

[42x16ss]

I should appreciate the break I get when they stop for a green light as I say. I keep feeling like I am being treated like a child riding a toy. I want to be just another vehicle. I struggle all the time to ride like I am operating a vehicle so I wish I would just be treated like one. I am sure that someday someone will get rear ended when they stop for me. Hey I suppose if the courtesy was common enough that people stopped for cars I might appreciate it more.
Never actually thought I'd complain about overly courteous drivers

Sometimes I wonder if these are overly courteous or overly cautious drivers? At times, the drivers that make me the most nervous are the ones that are both impatient and lack confidence in their driving skill.

 

[Mr.DNA]

So I stop, put both feet on the ground and wait for the idiot to go. It's amazing how long some of these morons will wave at you to go, go, go, even though you're shaking your head and not moving.

This happens all the time around here (L.A.). I find that looking away from them resolves it quicker than anything.

 

[usedtobefast]

This happens all the time around here (L.A.). I find that looking away from them resolves it quicker than anything.

that works well for sure.

 

[big.gear]

This happens all the time around here (L.A.). I find that looking away from them resolves it quicker than anything.

Sometimes I can avoid this sort of stand-off by preempting it with a (friendly) hand gesture as I roll up to the intersection--like doing a palm-raised "after you" hand sweep while I'm still rolling. Maybe it wouldn't work everywhere, but I've found that often makes people comfortable to go, maybe because it lets them know I'm not going to sprint in front of them, and it's clear that they were at the intersection first (since I'm still moving).

 

[benpounder]

Well I for one do not enjoy playing Track Sprint Match at stop signs, most drivers who drive correctly take their right of way rights and move on and keep traffic moving, including bike traffic. Then there's the "I can't decide/determine who stopped first" drivers who hit the brakes, tap the gas, hit the brakes till someone decides. I happen to make decisions much faster than those and keep at the very least myself moving along. I won't go into the ones who just sit at the stop sign with their mouth open (aka fly catchers), pedal on.

The trick is good eye-contact - and before you make the stop (or slow-down - rolling stops are now legal here in Colorado). Track stops tend to confuse motorists; a discernible gesture to the motorist with right of way as I'm slowing down usually gets them across my path before I have to go full stall.

And as much as I like to pull a nice prolonged track stand, I've found that clipping out lets motorists know your intention - I've got a nice house, one leg that is an inch and a half shorter than the other, and scars across my body from knowing that I was in the right when tangling with a vehicle 35 years ago.

 

[noomster]

I just had a "courteous" driver wave me through, eventhough she had the right of way. These people are generally women driving large 4 wheel drive vehicles, and they just do not appreciate the rules of the road.

I shook my head at her, and told her that she had the right of way, and was stupid to stop for me.

 

[Nick C.]

I just had a "courteous" driver wave me through, eventhough she had the right of way. These people are generally women driving large 4 wheel drive vehicles, and they just do not appreciate the rules of the road.

I shook my head at her, and told her that she had the right of way, and was stupid to stop for me.

Maybe she took you for an imbecile and wanted you out of there before you did something stupid and figured it was worth five seconds out of her life.

 

[hughmoore]

I dont like the wave through either, can cause pile ups especially if there is a group of you, half riders stop and the other half are trying to go through.

Better if everyone cyclists and motorists follow the rules.

Hugh

 

[ggusta]

If they are looking at me and acknowledge my existence, even if it results in showing their ignorance of the situation, it's all to the good.

Much better than wondering, 'Are they aware I am here? Are they texting? Are they about to pull out directly into me because they aren't aware I am here? For God's sake put down that phone and look up!' Yeah, I have cursed more than my share who forced me to lose all momentum because they stopped waved, slid forward a foot, stopped hard, waved again, slid forward another foot. Yeah. Complete stop, unclip, wave them on smiling real friendly through cursing teeth and look away until they are gone sends the Buzz Lightyear I come in Peace message. I curse them after I leave the intersection and head to infinity and beyond. But I am getting home safely, if it kills me.

I find 'us humans' to be rather dumb at times, not terribly interested in knowing more than the most basic principles of safe driving, the many incidents I have on the road that indicate more malicious intent is borne out of their own frustration with knowing how to conduct themselves on the road, so they lash out. We made them aware of their incompetence, so we are the problem (in their minds).

I ride mostly in rural and suburban areas. How you guys in urban areas do it is beyond me. I am not sure if I could get used to it.

 

[max_powers]

Be a traffic cop when needed, when eye contact is not enough, the cyclist can use a hand to express who should do what. Pointing at someone gets their attention quick.

 

[Greyhound Velo]

I live and ride in north San Diego county, home of the dumbest drivers on Earth . Too many old people, tourists, and soccer moms, and none of them seem to know how to handle a four-way stop intersection. If I'm still rolling approaching an intersection and get waved through I just punch it, unless there's more than one vehicle waiting. In that case I stop, unclip and grab a water bottle. It makes it obvious that you don't intend to move for at least a few seconds, and even a total moron isn't going to sit there and wait while you have lunch.

 

[ElChingon]

I live and ride in north San Diego county, home of the dumbest drivers on Earth . Too many old people, tourists, and soccer moms, and none of them seem to know how to handle a four-way stop intersection. If I'm still rolling approaching an intersection and get waved through I just punch it, unless there's more than one vehicle waiting. In that case I stop, unclip and grab a water bottle. It makes it obvious that you don't intend to move for at least a few seconds, and even a total moron isn't going to sit there and wait while you have lunch.

What, you have no problems at the last stop before Swami's when the cop hides on the west side of the intersection? I've used the "they waved me through" excuse a few times on that one. Then the people who make a U turn to find a spot along 101 by Swami's never looking to see if anyone is actually on the road! Seen car's, choppers, cyclists and people get taken out by that one, not at the same time, well that I've seen.

 

[Parera]

I wish there was a law that required every motor vehicle operator in the US to chant "A cyclist is not a pedestrian" 10 times before heading out on the road. Getting waved through at a 4-way grinds my gears because it only reinforces the notion in that the driver's mind that a cyclist is similar to a pedestrian (who is heavily protected by traffic code). We're not; we are operating a machine, the same as a motorist. Sigh.