To think that other drivers who don't acknowledge you when you let them pass or out of junctions are just rude, ignorant twats?

[NeonMuffin]

I was always taught by my driving instructor that when out driving if someone lets you pass or let's you out of a junction when they don't have to then its common courtesy to wave, smile, nod your head or if dark flash your lights to thank them.

I've always done this and to be fair most drivers do acknowledge you when you let them pass. So it really pisses me off when they don't. Just now I was driving into my street, it's a tight corner with cars parked either side and as I turned in another car was driving towards me driven by an older looking lady. Obviously due to cars being parked there was no where for her to pull into and it was quite obvious that she had no intention of reversing to allow me to drive onto the street despite it being my right of way. So to avoid a stalemate I reversed back onto the main road, something which is obviously quite dangerous and possibly illegal. She then drove on and completely blanked me, no smile, so wave no nod, nothing.

I didn't have to reverse to allow her to come through, it was my right of way after all. I could have been really awkward and refused to budge making her reverse back down the street but I didn't. An acknowledgment would have been nice, to me it's the driving equivalent of not saying please or thank you in a shop or when someone holds a door open for you.

Why are some people such rude, ignorant cunts? It really, really pisses me off for some reason?

[SirChenjin]

Much harder to see a smile than a wave though - esp. through the windscreen of a moving car. Lifting a hand is hardly that difficult.

[alemci]

I agree SirChenjin, I always wave but I was suggesting this to the other drivers who implied that waving posed a danger. A smile was better than no acknowledgement whatsoever.

Also I always reverse out of my drive on a quietish side road. Don't most people?

[mercibucket]

top tip
continue holding the steering wheel
lift a few fingers off and wave them
works round here

i believe reversing into a drive is supposed to be the done thing

[SirChenjin]

Ah sorry - didn't read the whole thread!

I always reverse into my driveway so that I can drive forward onto the road - much better view of what's coming - but I think it depends on whether you live on a quiet road (as we do) or a busy one which probably makes it harder to reverse into your driveway

[TSSDNCOP]

On the basis that you wouldn't back out of a side road onto a main road, same principle you don't reverse off your drive onto a road, doesn't matter how busy it is.

[changejustforyou]

Maybe she is not from the UK, in my home country no one does this. And would certainly be completely confused and worried about the flashing lights

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I don't object to flashing lights because they blind me, although I do find a sudden flare of light makes my eyes react (be a bit worrying if they didn't). I object to it because it means I have no clue what you mean.

Some people flash to say thanks.
Some people flash to say 'you don't have your lights on' or 'your brake light isn't working' or whatever.
Some people flash to say 'I'm coming through, it's my right of way'.

Best to keep it simple, I think.

[SirChenjin]

Depends on the situation eg if it's daylight and there are no doubts as to whose right of way it is then you can rule out a couple of things straight away .

[paxtecum]

Neon: Goodness, I bet you didn't expect all this flak.

I'm quite shocked by the having to have two hands on the wheel at all times - (what happens if you need to scatch an itch) and all the other lame excuses for bad manners.
These people must never change the radio channel, or maybe they don't listen to it as they may get distracted.

Op: I agree with you.
Most days I drive down a High Street that has cars parked on both sides of the road, thus only allowing vehicles to flow in one direction at a time.

Cars cannot get up the High Street and down it at the same time.
In this situation no one has the legal right of way.
If I wait at one end, allowing cars to come from the other direction I expect a wave or a nod of thanks.
The speed they are travelling is around 15mph so hardly dangerous to do so.

There has been several stand offs with cars meeting half way and both refusing to move.
One lasted 30 minutes - quite funny, but sad too.

[CatOfTheDay]

I'm trying to work out how I'm meant to change gear with both hands on the steering wheel!

I live on a road that sounds like the one in the OP, cars parked on either side - so lots of waiting and thanking! I'd NEVER reverse out onto the main road though, it's a blind enough corner going out forwards!

[ShadowFall]

Well, I agree that it may be annoying if other drivers don't acknowledge you, but please try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

They may genuinely be too busy concentrating on driving to feel able to safely remove a hand from the wheel to wave or to nod. And flashing people in the dark can dazzle them, so I don't tend to do that either.

I do usually wave nowadays, but back when I was a new driver who'd recently passed my test, I really didn't feel confident that I could avoid swerving dangerously if I tried to wave most times people let me out. Bearing in mind that I'd also usually be dealing with changing gear, indicating and steering at the same time. So I didn't wave, because I felt that not crashing was a higher priority.

Now, when people don't acknowledge me when I let them out, I remember how nervous I felt about removing hands from the controls to wave back then, and try to let any annoyance slide.

I save my real annoyance for drivers who tailgate or who are using handheld phones.

[chateauferret]

My driving instructor once gave me a bollocking for doing this and said one would fail one's test.

TBH I usually do but if there's a lot going on demanding my attention I do generally prioritise steering

[Rowgtfc72]

Dh says if you flash your lights and blind the car in front then probably your lights are misaligned. This is also a pet hate of his. I'm a cyclist and always wave my thanks when cars let me past, or should I never let go of my handlebars?

[Sallystyle]

I always drive into my drive and reverse out because I can't actually reverse into my drive. It is really tricky and even my husband who has been driving for 20 odd years finds it hard so I have no chance.

I always put my hand up to thank someone for letting me through. I never flash my lights because my driving instructor told me not to and I do what I am told ;)

[MrsGoslingWannabe]

I sometimes forget to say thank you. I get quite daydreamy when driving. I'm a kind driver though and will often let cars out / pedestrians cross etc. As another poster said I won't thank people who have stopped for no reason cos they have no spatial awareness - they're thick. A woman got all flustered and annoyed the other day when had to move to let me pass. I waved without looking at her but DP said she had a right face on. That sort of thing just makes me laugh!

[SirChenjin]

Daydreamy when you're driving??

[ApplesinmyPocket]

It's all about courtesy yes, but also there's a sort of positive reinforcement here, isn't there - our road systems quite simply work better if people are co-operative and generous.

I'm often surprised, when you consider how little people are prepared in NON-driving situations to give up to others, just how co-operative people are in driving situations - and obviously part of it is our subconscious realisation that the system works better if we all have a tacit understanding that there's this constant give-and-take going on.

But a thank-you with a smile, a nod, or a lifted hand (from those people who are able to lift a hand briefly from the wheel without losing control of course) is very pleasant and leaves you with a warm fuzzy glow.

[Collaborate]

Have a look at the guidance here:

www.drivingtesttips.biz/passing-parked-cars.html

This says OP that although nominally you had right of way, you must give way to the other car if they have committed to overtaking the parked cars first and there is nowhere for them to pull in to. The guidance also says that you should take in to account whether you or they have cars behind you. Generally, you should not enter a part of the road reduced to one lane if there is already another car on it heading your way.

[Tweasels]

This has been quite enlightening. I can't believe some people feel it's not safe to WAVE .

Although this might explain why I find it's mostly women who don't say thanks. Women and a certain type of man who I assume just cannot accept that a woman has "let" them past. The same men always thank DH.

I am a woman and a feminist so no sexist agenda but it is definitely disproportionately women (where I live) who do this.

[divisionbyzero]

Don't get angry, they are gone and not thinking about you - so creating a bad atmosphere for yourself for a moment avails you nothing.

Just put them on the bumhead list and move on.

[mercibucket]

daydreamy when driving

driving threads scare me

[NeonMuffin]

Collaborate, it's a very stupid road that I live on. A tight corner to turn into anyway, but made all the more worse by the selfish gits who insist on parking on the road outside their homes despite them all having their own parking spaces around the back. It's very dangerous and I dread a fire engine ever trying to get through there because it wouldn't.

Also the end house decided to build a fence around the corner of their property meaning that you can no longer see what's coming around the corner as you approach. Lots of my neighbours have complained about this and our local councillor has been involved. but there seems to belittle that we can do it.

The reason I already entered my street was because I couldn't see the other car approaching me. Indeed when I've been in the same situation, I.e coming off my road and someone approaches me then I simply reverse to let them through. It's a only a quiet side street, if you can't reverse along that then you shouldn't be on the road.

BTW, I'm still waiting for all these people who say they don't acknowledge other drivers because they can't take their hands off the wheel to tell me how they manage to change gears, indicate etc in that case? ;)

[alemci]

I think also if you do acknowledge or thank even if sometimes people are rude and pushy on the road then then it is like Karma and someone else will let you in and return the favour.

[MelanieCheeks]

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

On a quiet Scottish single track road in daylight going at 20 mph when I can clearly see the other person who has pulled into a passing place - I'll probably wave or nod.

Getting out of my estate onto a busy main road - impossible when traffic is moving, but if it's crawling along and someone lets me out, then I might wave a thanks - but I'm also changing gear and turning the steering wheel at the same time so my concentration is prioritised on the road and manoevering. (If I'm the passenger in this position I'll do the waving for the driver)

As a pillion on the back of a motorbike - I'd often give a courtesy wave to drivers letting us in. But again - I'm not the one driving.

In the OP's situation, yes I might have raised a finger of appreciation. But I don't feel obliged to.

It's not in the Highway Code, it's not compulsory, there can be all sorts of reasons why the driver can't or won't, it's unreasonable to expect it, downright presumptive to think anyone who doesn't is a rude ignorant twat....and where are you concentrating if you're looking out for the gesture of thanks?

[SirChenjin]

Well, if you've stopped to let a car out or through, you're not really doing anything other than waiting - so no 'concentration' needed for anything much. As a competent driver, you should be able to concentrate on more than one thing anything...

It's not compulsory to thank other drivers - but then again, it's not compulsory to do many things in life. We do them, however, to be mannerly and demonstrate to others that we appreciate what they have done for us - and to show that we're not ignorant twats who don't appreciate it, but instead expect it.