SIGforum
Timid And "Nice" Drivers
September 10, 2025, 10:56 AM
PASigTimid And "Nice" Drivers
Been seeing just as many of these type lately, seems to be more of them lately even more so than the crazy reckless drivers.
People who are too timid and will not pull up to the road to pull out from a parking lot and sit and sit and sit waiting for someone to let them out but they are too far back for the people on the road to realize this.
Had one in front of me yesterday (at EVERY cross road that had stop signs but we did not on the main road), she kept stopping like it was a 4-way stop intersection and waving people out. Again and again and again.
I think it's a lot of new drivers around here from countries where they never drove before.
September 10, 2025, 07:09 PM
Rey HRHThe irony is they think they are being safe and courteous drivers. When they’re turning left on green, they stay behind the line instead of moving into the intersection.
"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
September 10, 2025, 07:37 PM
jed7s9bGotta say it. If you are stopping at an intersection, even one with a green light, you need to be behind the stop bar.
“That’s what.” - She
September 10, 2025, 09:02 PM
egregoreThe person who's trying to let you in does no good when you have to cross
two or more lanes, which have their own moving traffic, to get to the one you need.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke September 10, 2025, 09:28 PM
trapper189quote:
Originally posted by jed7s9b:
Gotta say it. If you are stopping at an intersection, even one with a green light, you need to be behind the stop bar.
Not anywhere I’ve lived. One car is allowed in the intersection beyond the line.
Take Florida for example:
Trooper Steve was asked, “Is it legal to go out into an intersection on a green light or a flashing yellow arrow and wait for it to be clear when making a left turn?”
“This question reminds me of one we addressed a few months ago talking about blocking intersections. It is allowed to go out into an intersection prior to making your left turn as long as the traffic signals allow it.
LinkAnd Wisconsin:
Regarding left turns, it is legal to pull into an intersection on a green light while waiting to turn left. McCord said it's often the best practice for motorists to see around other cars that might be blocking their view.
LinkAnd Michigan:
In other words, it is legal for a motorist preparing to turn left at a green light to enter an intersection while waiting for traffic to clear.
LinkI could go on, but there are states that do have laws that say you have to stop at the line when turning left on green, Oregon and Washington for example. Kentucky has no laws requiring this.
September 10, 2025, 09:55 PM
Rey HRHquote:
Originally posted by jed7s9b:
Gotta say it. If you are stopping at an intersection, even one with a green light, you need to be behind the stop bar.
What rule says if you’re trying to turn left on a green light with oncoming traffic that you have to stop before the intersection?
If you do so, now you have to wait for a long enough break in the oncoming traffic that allows you the time to drive from before the intersection to the other lane. If you move up into the intersection, you do two things: 1. You shorten the time for you to complete the turn thus requiring a shorter break in the oncoming traffic and 2. The cross traffic sees you in the middle of the intersection and will allow you to complete your turn when the light changes even if someone in the oncoming traffic chases the yellow light to keep you from turning. It’s actually safer and more efficient.
"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
September 11, 2025, 05:19 AM
PHPaulThat's my wife.
I can NOT get it through her head that she's more likely to
cause an accident than prevent one.
Not to mention the liability issues of waving someone out into the traffic lane.
If it's a line at a stop light and someone is waiting to get out from a side street or parking lot, I will wait a second for them to pull out between me and the car ahead of me, but that's it.
Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
September 11, 2025, 05:47 AM
sigmonkeyIf you do not have a badge and a whistle, you can frantically wave your arms around like some Jedi in the middle of a bunch of Clones during Order 66 while I ignore you.
I obey all traffic signals, signs, markings and if a po-leec-man is present, what him/her directs me to do.
And if I encounter anyone that is not playing by the rules, I will consider if it is gonna mess up my paint or clean (for more than 50 years) driving record, and drive accordingly.
I Ray Charles all the rest.
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא עוד September 11, 2025, 06:46 AM
trapper189Yep. The accident is on you, not the hand waver.
September 11, 2025, 07:16 AM
TomVAround here we have the "Courtesy Trap", where one driver stops to let someone turn left in front of them and the turning driver get nailed by a car in the second lane that didn't know to stop.
I had never heard the term until I moved here, I guess there were no Courteous Drivers in California.
September 11, 2025, 11:38 AM
PASigquote:
Originally posted by TomV:
Around here we have the "Courtesy Trap", where one driver stops to let someone turn left in front of them and the turning driver get nailed by a car in the second lane that didn't know to stop.
I had never heard the term until I moved here, I guess there were no Courteous Drivers in California.
I watched that happen right in front of me a few years ago, I NEVER let anyone try to wave me out like that. So stupid.
September 11, 2025, 01:27 PM
powermadI ignore the idiots trying to jump multiple lanes of traffic trying to go left.
I'll let you in if you are going my way, other than that Fuck off.
September 11, 2025, 01:57 PM
flesheatingvirusIf you get to a STOP sign first, you go first. Don't wave me on. For all I know, you're going to t-bone me and present your BS dash cam video to the insurance company.
________________________________________
-- Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. --
September 11, 2025, 05:29 PM
FredwardPeople also fail to recognize that, when you are being "courteous" and letting the other guy have the right of way (sometimes several cars) you are righteously screwing the drivers behind you. Just take your turn. And a sign that says "Incoming Traffic Does Not Stop" means DON'T STOP, genius. The sign is there to prevent traffic from backing up onto a faster, high traffic roadway.
September 11, 2025, 08:52 PM
egregoreIf somebody waves
you in, be sure it's safe before proceeding.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke September 12, 2025, 09:25 AM
Fly-SigOne of my daughters had a motorcycle in college which 2 of her room mates borrowed one day. Making a left turn into a parking lot with the single lane of opposing traffic stopped, they were waved through by a polite driver.
But some idiot was driving fast in the shoulder to get up to the intersection to turn right. The motorcycle and that car met. Luckily no deaths, but one of the room mates needed several surgeries to repair a mangled leg.
September 12, 2025, 12:57 PM
synthplayerWhen my wife was in high school, she took driver's education and driver's training. The net result was she FEARS what could happen in traffic. She credits me for teaching her how to drive. Hers is yet another story of how badly she was cheated out of a decent education in high school.
I found what you said riveting. September 12, 2025, 02:12 PM
Prefontainequote:
Originally posted by PASig:
I think it's a lot of new drivers around here from countries where they never drove before.
That’s a lot of it but a lot more is just distraction. IE, the phone. I hear your frustration. I don’t make a single drive anywhere, even mundane stuff that is real close, where I don’t have to put up with awful driving. It’s busy on the streets, light turns green, and people just sit there. Not paying attention, slow to accelerate, slow to do everything. And you have to sit through the light twice. The swerving from distracted driving. Doing 50 mph (yesterday) on a 70 mph interstate. Someone is doing 90 mph then the next lane someone is doing 50 mph. It’s a recipe for disaster of your person, and/or your property. My only solution has been drive the least amount humanly possible. If running necessity errands, be skillful, daisy chain them together, if possible. Work the brainpan to drive less. The streets around here are certifiable.
What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone
October 07, 2025, 12:52 PM
Scooter123quote:
Originally posted by jed7s9b:
Gotta say it. If you are stopping at an intersection, even one with a green light, you need to be behind the stop bar.
By LAW if the light is green your are allowed to ENTER the intersection.
The person who told you to stop at the line defining the intersection did not ever take the time to actually read the LAW. If you cross that line you are entering the intersection and that is perfectly legal to do. If the light turns red while you are within the intersection you have the Right of Way to proceed through that intersection after opposing traffic clears.
Now about that big fat white line. It's purpose is to define the LEGAL Boundaries of the Intersection. If you let just your bumper edge over that line when the light is red then you can be cited for running a red light. The only exception here is if you are making a legal right turn on red. If you are going straight never let your front bumper stray over that line. BTW, been there done that and got cited. It was in Columbus when I was driving a Taxi to pay for Ohio State. As for why, it was a crackdown on taxi drivers for bullying pedestrians by by cutting them off in crosswalks. I didn't do this but many did. Fortunately I have always gone to court for any citation and the Judge asked officer if there was a pedestrian involved in my citation. Since there wasn't and I had plead no contest he waved all penalties or points because he knew about that crackdown.
I've stopped counting.
October 07, 2025, 01:20 PM
PASigWe suddenly have roundabouts everywhere here in PA for some reason, the state (or at least the SE section of it) has decided to fall in love with the things.
Just saw a woman in one last week coming through then coming to a full stop in the middle of it and trying to wave people in. She damn near caused a pileup behind her with that stupid move.
