Comment by EvanAnderson | Hacker News Reader

Comment by EvanAnderson | Hacker News Reader

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I wish new drivers were taught that making unexpected moves is a safety issue. Maybe they are-- it has been nearly 30 years since I had any drivers education. Given the wildly unexpected stuff I see other drivers doing, though, it doesn't seem like they are. (I guess this falls under the heading "defensive driving"...)

I assume assume all other drivers are drunk / sleeping / texting / etc. I'm very alert when I do anything conflicting with the "default" behavior other drivers. My suspicion of drivers goes up about 10X when I'm riding a bicycle on roads.

Point being: We've got a bike path here that crosses a fairly busy state route at the edge of a town. Drivers coming into town don't slow down (even though the speed limit changes way back at the city limits and well before the bike path crossing).

When I'm waiting to cross, invariably, some "do gooder" driver coming into town will stop and motion me on. Meanwhile some driver behind them, not expecting someone to be stopped in the road (and going too fast), ends up braking hard to get stopped. I'm not going to put myself in front of that.

The "do gooder" usually doesn't want to "take no for an answer", either, so I end up having to sit for much longer than if they'd just done the correct thing. In some cases I've even gotten exasperated gestures from drivers, apparently miffed that I didn't take advantage of their "charity".

(I'm actually surprised at the amount of squealing tires I've heard, given that anti-lock brakes are on virtually every car on the road.)

As a cyclist, when some driver waves at me to go contrary to the rules, I do something that looks like it's going to take 15 seconds or so like adjusting my helmet, pulling out my phone to check the time, etc. Seems to work with no fuss from the drivers who think they are doing me a favor.

yep, you can do this in cars too when someone is intent on waving you on contrary to the right of way, i usually take an extended sip of coffee or water while looking the other way or at least not directly at the other person (helps to have sunglasses on); works a treat

Lots of negativity regarding someone trying to do something nice for you.

Right of way is an important safety measure and isn't something you should just yield unexpectedly.

I got in a car accident about ten years ago which resulted in my and another car getting totaled. I was going down a 35 or 45 mph four lane wide (two in each direction plus a median) street which was crossed every quarter mile or so by smaller two way residential streets. The cross streets had stop signs at intersections. The larger road I was on had left turn lanes but no stop signs.

I was in the right lane of the larger street going along at the speed limit. As I was passing a backup of several large vehicles waiting to turn left in the lane next to me, a car from a cross street pulled out in front of me from the left. I'm still shocked that I managed to steer so that I hit the back of the car instead of the front. The other car spun completely around, but neither of us had any injuries other than whiplash.

Apparently what happened was that the car I hit was waiting at the stop sign and got waved forward by the driver in the lane next to me. They decided to pull into the intersection despite the fact that they couldn't see the lane I was in, and thus didn't know that there was a vehicle in it.

Obviously, they shouldn't have pulled into the intersection without knowing that there wasn't a car going into it, but also if they'd refused to go until the cars with the right of way had turned it wouldn't have happened either.

As a cyclist, I've often been waved into an intersection by some well-meaning motorist when there's no way for me to be sure that the intersection is clear. I usually just shake my head and motion for them to go on. Usually they smile and go on, but sometimes they get visibly irritated.

I guess-- yeah. Obey the law. Take the right-of-way when you have it. Don't do unexpected things.

I don't want "charity" from drivers (as a cyclist, pedestrian, or other driver). I want them to act predictably and safely.

So many things in the world would be better if people just did the thing they're supposed to do. If that's "negativity" so be it.

They're not doing anything nice. That's my point. They're putting themselves and others in danger for no benefit. I don't want my bicycle to be immediately in front of their car and, more than likely, they're taking more of my time than if they'd just driven on.

I can appreciate that perspective. I am not a cyclist. I think what this really comes down to is people being on the same page, and the many people out there who are not as familiar with right of way and the law as would be ideal.

If the outcome is them inconveniencing everyone involved because they haven't really thought about the situation, who cares what the intention is? GP is supporting the argument that drivers should not do unexpected things, and this is a good example of how that rule trumps trying (ineffectually) to be nice. There are lots of situations where someone simply taking their right-of-way or continuing to do what they're doing is much more efficient and safe than suddenly stopping or changing course in the name of courtesy.

Intent doesn't matter when the result is almost always bad. The name of the game in traffic safety is "predictability", that means taking the right of way when you're supposed to.

I think the issue is doing something nice here is unexpected and while driving or using the roadway, anything unexpected is TOUGH to deal with and causes both parties to have to navigate a situation with limited communication.

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