It annoys me when another driver at a 4-way stop waves me ahead, especially when it’s not yet my turn.
Part of knowing how to drive is knowing the rules of the road and I pay attention when I reach the stop and I always know who’s supposed to go when. It feels condescending to get waved through when it’s clearly not my turn. I shared this observation with Derek and he said he tends to take control at a 4-way too because too few people ARE paying attention and they sit there like bewildered sheep, either hitting the gas before they’re due to go or never moving because they are too confused by the situation. I never thought of it that way. I guess I just assumed that others paid attention too. Apparently that’s not the case. Next time, I’ll just nod and carry on if some dude waves me on. It’s not that big a deal, really. I can dumb it down for the masses!
Something that the motorcycle riding/safety course reminded me to do, is to drive like I’ve got a purpose. Too many drivers seem to just coast along as if they’re the only ones on the road. On a bike, there’s a better chance you won’t even be seen so if you’re on a 4-lane street and pulling up beside someone on the left, you have to get the heck out of their blind spot. So many car drivers come up on your left and just sort of hang out there. They aren’t passing you. They just linger there, blocking you from getting into that lane or worse, in a position where you can’t even see them. But you can’t afford that kind of mindless driving when you’re on a bike and you ought not do it in a car, either.
It’s all well and good to let someone in and I do it all the time. But be a bit selfish about it. If a light is green, you shouldn’t stop traffic to let someone in who’s turning left onto your street. If the light is red and you’re not holding others up, go for it. But you’re not supposed to disrupt the traffic flow. Being nice to someone who’s not on the street yet at the detriment of those who already are, is just being a jerk to the majority. There’s a responsibility involved. Let people in, sure, but don’t hold everyone around you up to do it.
I realize that the number of ridiculous things on the road is just about endless. But these are my current top three. Feel free to add your own below!