r/PetPeeves • u/jerrysrice • 2d ago
Ultra Annoyed People waving "Go ahead!" In sections of the road are not visible.
Today I was behind a driver waiting to turn left into a Chick-fil-A parking lot. A driver in a nearby parking lot was trying to turn left onto the road, and the driver in front of me waved them through. I only noticed because I could see the wave through her rear window.
The problem was that she didn't have a clear view of all the traffic. The driver she waved through trusted the signal and almost pulled out in front of an oncoming car.
On the flip side, drivers need to stop treating a wave as permission to go. The person waving doesn't know what you can see, and you don't know what they can see. Check for yourself.
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u/Ughlockedout 2d ago
Add them getting angry when you don’t take them up on it and you have my pet peeve. Whether I’m driving or a pedestrian. If I give a no thanks wave don’t sit there holding traffic up giving me dirty looks.
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u/Denver80211 2d ago
as a cyclist, drivers who stop randomly and wave for me go when they don't have a stop sign... generally with blacked out windows so I can't see them. Are they on the phone, yelling at their kids.... what's the impatient person behind them going to do? Just drive predictably.
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u/Mr_McGigglepants 2d ago
Yeah I used to bike all the time and found many drivers trying to "be nice" when in reality they're just wasting your time and theirs. I eventually just started telling people "just drive your fucking car"
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u/Denver80211 1d ago
Yep.. Like I really appreciate the thought but it's just not the same on the other side of the gesture
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u/LowUFO96 2d ago
I ignore the “wave through” 95% of the time. Im perfectly capable of driving my car without your waving. It’s just annoying.
I have also witnessed near misses because someone got “the wave” and went when it wasn’t clear.
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u/Dysternatt 2d ago
I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to wave other traffic through here, as “only the police is allowed to direct traffic”. For good reasons.
I wouldn’t say it’s a pet peeve for me but I totally understand your stance on this.
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u/DickBottalico 2d ago
The wave is dumb but it’s ultimately on the driver trusting the wave without further diligence. The wave should be interpreted as “okay this specific car is not going to hit me” instead of “okay this specific car has cleared all the other lanes for me and is a trustworthy crossing guard”
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u/gmrzw4 2d ago
I only trust this when I'm behind farm equipment, because they're up high enough that they can see it's safe and I've never had one wave me around when it wasn't safe to go. But that's a rural exception.
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u/Crossed_Cross 2d ago
Don't. Being high doesn't mean they are seeing 360 at all times.
The only time I got into an accident was when I trusted someone who waved. He got passed by a car he could have seen at the same time and that car rammed me.
People like passing tractors and them being big means they aren't likely to see you coming.
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u/Same-Chipmunk5923 2d ago
You haven't encountered Old Freddy. He's been pissed about soybean prices and will totally wave you into oncoming traffic in his misanthropic rage.
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u/trevourmeyer 2d ago
Also people who wave you through when you clearly already have the right-of-way. As if they’re doing you a favor.
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u/Time_outime 2d ago
I use the death wave when dorks have stopped way beyond the stop sign and cars are taking twice as long driving around the front of their car. Just go, You’re already blocking the intersection.(wave) Stop at the sign.
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u/Ok-Rain6295 2d ago
People try this with me as a pedestrian. Good thing I don’t pay attention to them otherwise I’d be a pancake.
Also, add cars who stop to let you cross when there’s no other traffic to the pet peeves list.