Please don’t wave children across the road.

[Goposie]

Lovely lady stopped and tried to wave me
And my children across flashing her lights. Trouble was a motorbike was coming along the bus lane. Clearly I didn’t cross and I explained why to the kids. But I do worry that the driver will do this to children on their own who will be encouraged to step onto the road when other traffic may be coming.

I used to be a driving instructor, I was always telling learners never to beckon anybody, flash lights, etc, even though it was true people do it all the time. I would say that if you wanted to give way, just hold back and let them decide.

If any learners kept on doing it, I then explained about flash for cash.

What irks me is when I am waiting at a zebra crossing, a car is approaching and waves me across whilst slowing down. Yeah mate, I don’t fancy stepping into the road when you are still moving at enough speed to splatter me into the tarmac. Just come to a complete stop, let me survey the rest of the situation and then I’ll start to cross

I hate this too. I teach my dc to only cross when the lights have changed in their favour and STILL to double check that both directions have stopped before crossing. So many motorists seems to see stopping a t a red light as optional.

Parents who cross with their dc 10 m away from a pedestrian crossing really annoy me too!

I was actually hit by a car when I was at primary school because I was waved across and didn’t see the car coming from the opposite direction. Have drilled it into DS to trust noones judgement but his own when crossing and always check before crossing.

Well just me then. I like to know whose letting me/ my child go. I don’t think it means that anyone else has agreed to it and always check. Why does one person saying they’ll wait imply anyone else will?

Another one that I hate is cyclists waving for me to overtake them. I live near a very popular weekend cycling area with extremely narrow roads and always hold back until I can see clearly that it's safe to pass. Pretty much every weekend I'll be waved on by a cyclist when they can't possibly see if it is safe for me to pass.

Thank you! I don't stop to let kids cross in case they think any slowing car is going to let them out and have been told I'm horrible by family members.
I live near a school and get so annoyed at parents walking their kids to school and teaching them not road sense at all (crossing in front of cars at junctions, crossing between cars etc.

Yanbu.

I’m glad you’ve pointed this out, the very same nearly happened to me, I was waved across and nearly hit by a motorbike. It was a close call! I really take my time and check now.

I absolutely hate when drivers stop to wave (or beep as I had yesterday when I wasn't looking in the driver's direction) me across.

I like to make sure the road is completely clear before crossing with my DC, although it can mean I am stood there for a good 5-10 minutes sometimes looking back and forth. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I'm a white cane user in certain circumstances (busy places, bright days etc). Please don't wave me across, I've got very limited peripheral vision so don't go until I'm satisfied it's safe.

I get that people are being nice but it doesn't help children learn to cross safely.

Someone did this the other day outside primary school. I was very because coming from the opposite direction was a car not that far away. But it was a good chance to teach the children to not just step out.

Another example of people playing 'Good Driver', trying to be helpful but sometimes it's really not.

I think drivers do not necessarily understand that not all pedestrians want to step out in front of a vehicle, especially those with Dc with them as they do not want to set it as an example ever.

And with low-lying sun, you cannot always see through the windscreen from the outside, and if you cannot make eye contact with the driver then you might be unwilling step out (a pause might be illusory or something erratic, not a give way)

And if a driver is paying attention to the road, they should spot immediately that the pedestrian is disinclined to cross in front of a vehicle and should continue to driv. Not stop and glower at a pedestrian for making a different safety call (never understood why people do this, though I've seen it happening often enough)

Completely agree. Its infuriating when you are trying to teach your child to cross the road safely and you say "OK we need to look left and right and left again and look there's a car coming so it isn't safe and we mustn't cross. We wait here for the car to pass" and then the sodding car stops and waves us across and that is another lesson ruined and I am less confident that the child will know what to do when walking without me once old enough. By all means be aware of pedestrians and be ready to brake if a kid runs into the road but do not stop if you aren't at an official crossing point. Parents with kids need opportunities for teaching and every time you wave a family across you have spoiled an opportunity.

I posted about the accident I had this week due to someone waving a pedestrian across (a woman, not a child). It was immediately after a roundabout on a main road. I was looking to make sure the roundabout was clear and as I went round it turning right the driver in front just stopped suddenly because there was a pedestrian waiting on the pavement to cross over - it wasn’t a crossing or anything. I slammed on brakes but skidded into the back of her.

Obviously my fault but I did make it clear to the other driver that I thought she was very silly stopping where she did.

I was following a slow driver the other day and he obvious clocked alone and turned on his left indicator to get me to overtake. On a blind corner. Unsurprisingly I waited behind him. Common sense seems to go out of the window sometimes

*obviously clocked me 🤦🏼‍♀️

When I was at school a girl got killed crossing from behind the school bus because a car driver had waved that she was safe to cross the road.

DS(5) started to step out when a driver said we could cross. His view of the T junction was better than ours. I never take the driver's word for it in those circumstances.

You should only flash to warn others of your presence. Flashing to signal anything else is not appropriate. The end of my road is a tricky junction. There is much flashing and impatience. And daily near misses.

I don’t take driving or road use instructions from anyone except the police or other authorised marshals. If I’m involved in an accident it won’t be them held accountable. I also don’t issue instructions except when teaching my children. When riding (horses) I never signal drivers to pass me. They can make their own decisions on that. I might ask them to wait or slow down.

I get this almost daily as I have to cross near a roundabout. There are two lanes approaching but one is always busiest. Drivers have to slow or stop as they approach and smile and try to wave me across but often the other lane is empty and a vehicle will come along much faster and seemingly from nowhere.

My DH was hit by a car as a child because someone did this, it's dangerous