chris_farley

This happens to me several times a week:

I need to take a left turn. I pull out into the left turn lane. I am the first vehicle in the lane. I signal my intention to turn left.

The light turns green.

The driver in the oncoming lane (going straight through the intersection) WAVES ME THROUGH.

Sometimes it's not the first driver, but a subsequent driver stops and does this.

I'm not really sure how dangerous it is to accept these wave-throughs (sometimes I've taken them to avoid a protracted Mexican standoff in the middle of an intersection). It CERTAINLY is contrary to the rules of the road that I have grown up with. Why in the world do I need to be waved through? What are people thinking? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

Lately, I've been waving THEM through, but this doesn't always work. Sometimes the driver sits there flashing their lights at me.

Is there a new law I don't know about??

d2create

I know what you mean.
I always get drivers that reach a 4-way stop before me. They wait for me to come to a sloooow complete stop and put my foot down, and then wave me thru.
I'm stopped! Just go already! Yeesh.

cooleric1234

This hasn't happened to me at a light but happens ALL THE TIME at stop signs. Drivers think they're being nice, but it's actually annoying. I slow down and time my "stop" depending on who arrived at the stop sign at which time, such that I don't actually have to put my foot down. Then some person who is supposed to go sits and waits for me as I'm downshifting or something. I'll usually take it, but I would prefer they just act in a predictable manner and follow the regular rules.

markhr

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/444292-why-wave-those-nice-drivers.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/432850-hit-car-am.html

urban_assault

I thought it was just me having this problem.

I know they are trying to be courteous but it is annoying. On the other hand, drivers see so many cyclists
blowing through stop signs and traffic signals that maybe they just want to avoid a lawsuit.

M_S

This may be part of it, but it's still way annoying.

ollo_ollo

I used to get this where my commute required stopping to wait for a break in traffic exiting a freeway offramp. People would come to a dead stop & motion me across while cars skidded to a stop behind them. I eventually resorted to just standing there, taking out my water bottle & drinking while vigorously waving everyone through.

tekknoschtev

Its annoying, and there are a few intersections where I know its problematic. At one particular intersection, its actually safer for me, and less confusing for motorists, if I hop on the sidewalk and take the crosswalk when the little white guy pops up. I don't like using the sidewalk, but I figure for 30', and the reduced confusion its worth it.

Not always a possibility for everyone, but it works for me.

RubenX 

I wave at them first to deny them the opportunity.

Paraphen

I don't mind if someone does it when I'm at an intersection where traffic is such that if I wait for a gap or w/e, I'll be there for five minutes in the middle of the road, and I've done similar things, both for cyclists and cars, while driving.

But when there are say, five cars in line to go straight through and car number two stops and waves me through, then it's a problem. If I don't go through, I have to wait for him to get the idea and go through so everyone else can clear it and I can make my left. If I go through, I risk getting nailed if cars three four or five get antsy and skirt around the stopped car, assuming he's making a left and isn't using his turn signal, especially since the drivers that will do that seem to be worse at noticing hard-to-spot objects, like a bike directly in front of them.

RedC

God save me from people trying to kill me being "nice". Every time I let myself get sucked in by someone waving me on someone else shoots around them and nearly runs me down.

77midget

I get this too! Usually, it happens at a rotary that I negotiate. I understand the nice gesture, but it really mucks up traffic when a person tries to wave me through. I would rather wait my turn.

I think that part of it is that a lot of people treat bikes like they treat pedestrians, and think that they NEED to wave a bike on.

kokomo61

I got a wave through from TWO drivers, stopped on either side of a crosswalk on a narrow, 2-lane street. I went forward, only to be greeted by a JAM who sped around the stopped vehicle on the right, giving me a free ride on the hood.

His court date is August 18th.

making

I had a lady in a big Ford Excursion slow down and follow me for several minutes (more than 5) one day last week. I was on a two lane and was about a foot from the right white line and was holding my line going about 20 mph. I could see her in my mirror, she had her blinkers on. there was another lane and light traffic. I think she thought she was keeping me from gettting run over or something. Most of the crazy driver behavior is just ignorance. Our local paper has a sound off section, people can write in and say anything they want on Mondays. Last monday a lady wrote in reminding all bicycles to stay on the sidewalk or trail, roads are for cars. I think the department of motor vehicles ought to have an entire section on bicycles.

huhenio

Sprint!

nemo

At 5 am there is almost no traffic on "g" street. it is a large 2 lane with a turning lane in the middle, I have had a drivers follow me until i turn (about 6 blocks) not sure why but it is creepy especially when there is no oncoming traffic. I appreciate people trying to be more thoughtful, this is a welcome break from the norm, but i just want to yell "treat me like you would another car!"

ItsJustMe

Dangerous as hell. I will NOT accept an illegal wave through. I'll get off the bike if needed. There have been multiple threads here posted by people who have been hit due to this kind of "favor".

ItsJustMe

Hopefully you'll write a letter reminding all bicycles that they are legal vehicles, and (if true) that riding on the sidewalks is illegal, and that it's much more dangerous statistically than riding in the road.

I've been thinking that it might be a good idea to take out an ad or see if I can get a PSA in the local paper every spring with the quick "what cyclists should know / what car drivers should know" info.

making

OH yes, good idea. Do you know of good info to include from somewhere on the net? i will search it when I get back, right now I am going for a ride before the traffic get real bad.

ItsJustMe

Wow, that's really scary. The brother of a friend once killed a guy that stopped at the bottom of an ONRAMP to wait for a gap rather than trying to merge. The road was really high speed, and the way to get on it was to accelerate down the ramp to highway speed, then find a gap and merge in. Needless to say, the brother was looking over his left shoulder for a gap and hit the stopped guy at highway speed without even seeing him.

Offramps are probably not quite as dangerous but probably about as likely for something to happen.

Fairmont

I think cops should ticket these so-called polite drivers. They'll hold up several cars behind them, illegally, in order to wave you through, putting you into a dangerous situation.

I've learned a few tricks.

1. When I think that's about to happen, I avoid eye contact. They won't wave you through if they don't think you see them.

2. When they wave me through I shake my head no and then break eye contact permanently until they're gone.


They need to obey the traffic rules.

545h4

I'm glad I'm not the only one out there that feels like I am sometimes ungrateful towards "kind" motorists. I think that the intention is there, but some of the motorists just compound the issues.

If I am supposed to be following the rules of the road, treat me like a car, and go when it is your right to do so. When I have a stop sign or a red light, don't jam on your brakes and wave me through, then get mad at me when I don't ride out into oncoming traffic from all of the other lanes. If you want to be nice to cyclists, don't honk at us for no reason, don't come within inches of us when we are on a narrow shoulder, always keep an eye out for us when turning, stand up for us if you see another motorist doing something reckless or aggressive, and smile at us. The road is a diverse place, there are cars, mopeds, tractor trailers, SUVs, motorcycles, and, yes, even self-propelled vehicles. We should all follow the same rules, and maybe then there will be less angst between motorists and cyclists, just as folks in sub-compact cars put up with the 18-wheelers...!

Pig_Chaser

Yup, i find taking the hands off the handle bars let them know you are not going to go. Sometimes a wave is misconstrued as a thank you.

Gonzlobo

bikeforums.net: Complain about courteous drivers. Complain about rude drivers. Just complain about drivers.

Just avoid busy 'left turn' intersections...

4zn_balla

whenever someone thinks i won't stop or waves me on a bike, i usually wait for them. It could be a minute i don't care. Advocacy i guess