... to thank drivers who stop at pedestrian crossings?

[Deadwood58]

I always do the hand gesture to thank drivers who stop for me to cross at zebra crossings and traffic lights.

Dh says this is ridiculous as they have to stop - I say it doesn't hurt to be polite.

Who is being unreasonable

I thank at zebra crossings - I hate it when people just fly through when I'm clearly trying to cross, and as a teenager I was nearly run down by a car when I was halfway across the road so I always thank the ones who do stop. It's polite and it encourages considerate behaviour. If nobody said 'thank you' after walking through a held-open door, nobody would bother to hold doors open any more.

I don't tend to do it at traffic lights though. I think traffic lights feel a bit more 'enforced' and less reliant on good manners and very few people would just blaze through them regardless of whether or not I'm standing there waiting to cross.

I always half raise my hand at the crossings without lights, it's part of the making contact "ritual". If I'm paying attention it's not unusual to get an acknowledgement back from the driver with a nod.

I walk a lot in areas with a lot of side roads and car drives. I always stop when I see a car approaching a side road or trying to get off or on a drive, more from a safety point of view. I pretty much will always either be waved on or thanked by the driver as they pass by.

I never thought we were a particularly genteel lot around here but apparently so.

I live in South Euclid Ohio on Cedar Road. University Heights and Cleveland Heights are right next to me I live on the border.
This is a heavy traffic area.
Usually I have to be extra careful and yield to the people who are driving their cars. Almost nobody will stop for me to cross a street with a walk signal. They slow down and keep moving. Some are better and some worse. Some drivers intimidate me to walk faster getting too close too me. I feel uncomfortable and tend to get mad. I tend to scream at them (I shouldn't) but usually nothing happens. The driver already sped off. The ones that hear me yelling at them get upset. They get upset when they are the one that did the wrong thing. Its like they don't want you to walk on the sidewalk and cross streets. This society is focused on driving a car/vehicle too much.
19 out of 20 will actually stop to let me cross. The other 18 are very rude.

The other evening I was crossing a street with a walk signal that said walk. I didn't see any cars in the left turn lane. What happened was that driver decided to start to turn left anyway. I am walking across next thing I see is the car pretty close to me. The car turned and got straight before he slowed down. He slowed down enough where I could cross but failed to stop. It was far too close. It was a man driving a Cadillac SUV. I yelled at him and got upset. Didn't work as soon as I got out of his way he sped off like a bat out of hell.

Doesn't sound much fun snitsky - Boston is similar. Although last time I was there I saw a guy nearly hit some pedestrians while turning right on green and he was immediately pulled over by the police, which was very satisfying.

That typical US setup where the light is green to turn, but the pedestrian also has a walk signal is stupid.

But TBH where I live most people do stop for pedestrians - not just at crossings but even if they just see someone waiting to cross at a random place.

I even heard someone get hit by a car turning left. I was coming home from the store up the street. This was a handicapped man who couldn't walk all that well. It was rush hour AM around 8am. A intersection with cars going straight and turning left and right. The car that hit the guy turned left from the side street. It was a young lady driving a Chevrolet Cobalt coupe yellow in color. I remember this incident well. I am lucky because I was walking home thinking about crossing there.
In my area you don't see many people walking the sidewalks. Usually I see 1 or 2 people at most. Usually they are empty. I get so used to it I don't even bother to look for people walking. Only in the warmer weather I see more people. When its cold I rarely see anyone.
This society is focused far too much on driving. Anybody else has it harder to get around.
My name is Kurt Wetzel by the way.

I usually give some acknowledgement although I often have my hands full. Sometimes I smile really sweetly to thank the driver but I’m really thinking “thanks for not being a twat” rather than conveying any genuine sense of gratitude.

I always thank because, well, manners! What harm does it do to be polite?

I thank if they stop without needing to. I see it as responding to their politeness with politeness. However if they are just stopping because the light has gone red I wouldn't thank them.

I check cars have stopped but then I concentrate on crossing, not falling over. I guess that makes me one of people some of you think are ill mannered or rude. You wouldn't know I was partially sighted or disabled though. I've thought about using a short white cane, then realised I'm more likely to poke someone's eye out with it.

Reading the Highway Code it does seem like a contradiction- never start crossing until traffic has stopped, but they don't have to stop until you put out your foot. To follow the Highway Code if a road is busy a pedestrian must be done a favour as can't step into moving traffic.

To be fair, the Highway Code also says this:

195
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing

look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross

So traffic should anticipate pedestrians and slow down, allowing them to cross safely

Not once, have I ever checked if someones feet are on the crossing before I slow down. That's fucking weird! As above, you look up the road and if someone's near the crossing then you slow down in case they might want to use it.
To be fair, most of the time I do thank as a pedestrian on zebras, but not if I'm distracted, and my priority is not getting run over rather than manners.
I have no idea why you'd thank drivers who stop at a red light.

I’ve nearly been knocked down at one particular local zebra crossing (there is only one in the local area and most people don’t stop at it). In the middle of the crossing and cars still continue to drive through it (even when I’m pushing a pram!!) makes me so angry! One woman did it and then noticed when she stopped the car a few metre along at the shops that I looked annoyed at her! I gave her a good piece of my mind

The drivers that seem to always let me across safely when I have a pram are lorry drivers and taxi drivers !

I always thank drivers as a pedestrian at a zebra / similar non traffic light situation. I get annoyed as a driver when pedestrians don't thank me. It feels rude.

Not so much at zebra or traffic lights but do thank drivers who stop at other crossings.

I smile and wave just to acknowledge their patience. I also always stop at zebra. I think people should be able to get across the road safely. Pedestrians should be treated equally. Drivers don't own the road just because they are in a machine and have more power.
Let people enjoy walking about even if you are delayed by 10 seconds

I put my hand up and say thanks! Not everyone stops.

No, they're meant to do it so I won't pretend they are doing me a courtesy, as many drivers don't need more reasons to think they own the entire road (and pavement). I wave at drivers who allow me to cross when they aren't legally compelled to.

I do if my hands aren’t full and if they’re not driving like a dickhead.

I absolutely love to see young teens wave thank you when you stop for them...makes me feel all hopeful to see such lovely confident manners.
Of course I wave or mouth thank you, it makes people feel good and I don't care whether they are just obeying the law or not....it feels rude not to.

I always have and always will.

I always say thanks.. costs nothing, is no effort and might be a little happy thing that adds to other things to make someone have a good day.

Usually, yeah I do. I also thank bus drivers as I'm gettingb9ff. My husband thinks I'm bonkers but it's no different to thanking a shop assistant/barman/waiter.

I always say thank you unless my hands are full. I know they are legally supposed to stop but not all do.

I do too, OP. But then again, I say 'thank you' to automatic doors when they open too.

It's nice (at crossings, not automatic doors) to acknowledge that a driver has stopped for you. I know they have to but many do not - and this week I've seen cyclists not stopping either.

In this society now the people driving the vehicles don't yield to pedestrians. This puts the pedestrian walking across a street/intersection at risk.
What baffles me is how rude the drivers are. The super rude drivers who come too close when I am walking across the street I yell at them. 9 out of 10 times nothing happens. The driver is already off speeding away. The ones that hear me get mad and yell back to me. Sometimes they swear or give me the finger. Even though they are in the complete wrong. Now reverse the situation. The person driving is the one walking across the street. I am sure they wouldn't like a driver almost running them over or they feel intimidated.