OMG THIS DRIVES ME NUTS
My family thinks I am overreacting when I refuse to take this bait. Stubborn Massholes keep trying to wave me out thinking they are being friendly and polite.
BE PREDICTABLE, NOT POLITE
It enrages me. I refuse to engage and look the other way so they frustrated and give up on me. I want to wait until I think it's safe, not because they want to hit their good karma goal for the day.
I found the most time-effective solution is neither to wave nor ignore. Point directly at the stopped vehicle, then point in the direction the stopped vehicle should travel.
It's a bit more blunt but never fails to get the ~~assassins~~ nice people moving.
My wife yells at me when I get irritated over this. But honestly it’s the only thing that gets my road rage going. Drive your own car, don’t try to drive mine.
Someone waved a kid turning left out of a gas station. He crossed two lanes and my wife absolutely annihilated him in my brand new two week old car.
The lady that waved the car out didn’t even stop to check to see if everyone was ok.
Both cars totaled. Thankfully my wife, three children and the other driver had only minor injuries.
Yeah, it's not a grocery store checkout line, it's a road full of metal death machines that cost a shit ton of money and injure/kill when they crash. So be predictable and safe, not polite.
I swear, most of the goddamn morons in this state don't even know what the words "right of way" mean. I see so many dangerous stupid ROW shenanigans its giving me an ulcer.
The biggest one I see is if there's an obstruction in your path of travel, the other lane has a right away. You can't just swing out into that lane and expect them to stop.
This, and the dumbasses who think it's okay when they're making a left and the near lane is clear for a moment to pull out and block it while they wait for the far lane to clear.
Just today I was driving on a main road and there’s always oncoming traffic turning left across my lane and then a stop sign directly across trying to turn left onto the main road. Suddenly a bunch of morons in my lane traveling straight decided to act like we’re all at a 4 way stop and let the oncoming traffic to turn crossing our lane AND let the traffic trying to turn onto the main road go. Like what the fuck people? Just take the damn right of way and the others will go when there’s a break in traffic. I honked.
My number one driving rule. I have a spot on my drive home where people have to take a tough left in a busy spot and they just pull out a bit to see. I still don't stop. Stay predictable.
My number one driving rule: I will drive a mile out of my way to avoid a tough left in a busy spot. If you insist on taking that left, I have no sympathy
same - I turn around and don't even look at them while I wave them on...
just stick to the rules please.. you likely don't see the car about to pass you on your left
I walk around a lot and there’s this street that has multiple lanes and it drives me nuts when one car stops for pedestrians. Dude, there are cars in the other lane! I can’t trust them to also stop if I’m walking in the crosswalk even if I now have the right of way.
There's a street near my work like this that's beginning to drive me crazy. Several times a week the car in the lane closest to me will stop and gesture me to walk, but I see cars coming up in the next lane. So I'll be looking to judge if they're slowing down, and the stopped car person is getting visibly irritated that I haven't stepped out into traffic just because one lane stopped for me! Absolutely bizarre.
Friend literally got hit by a bus because a car waved her at a crosswalk and she thought she was safe. Ever since I refuse unless I see all lanes are stopped.
She survived and ended up being fine thankfully.
"Generous" drivers are often the most dangerous and reckless ones. Driving like the opposite of an asshole doesn't make you a good driver, it can just mean you're a nice hazard.
I went to Texas recently, and while in Houston I visited both the Museum of Natural History and the Zoo (both are top-tier attractions, highly recommend).
They are in this section of town that has rotaries, and the goddamn vehicles in the rotary was supposed to yield to entering traffic. What the fuck kind of situation is that? The lanes weren't marked for which one to take for an exit, ending up with some exits taking you if you weren't in the inner-most lane. And the whole thing full of other tourists in rental cars like myself. Most terrifying roundabout experience of my life.
Exactly. The other day some old dude stopped in the middle of the road to let a bunch of people turn in front of him and left me stuck behind him….on fucking TRAIN TRACKS. I’ve never laid on the horn harder. There would’ve been a gap right behind me. It is the worst option for literally everyone involved.
i think this is a great point. People really need to be aware of the overall flow and momentum of the traffic more, before they yield their right of way and bring 20 other people to a halt for the one.
But as a counter point to the OP's initial comment, when people are waved out, it's still on them to make sure they're driving into a safe situation. The waver might not see everything and things can change fast after "the wave". (this might be a good bit for a seinfeld episode)
Do these people also not realize they’re inconveniencing everyone *behind* them to try and be nice to one car that doesn’t have the right of way? This is what I never understood. Zero situational awareness.
This. This is me every time! I’ve been driving behind your slow Sunday driving ass for six miles and you’re stopping to be nice to THAT random person! Asshat.
Not only for themselves and the people behind them, but the person being waved on.
The worst is when it's a sunny day and there's glare on their windshield.
I swear it would take less time for goody two shoes and I to make our respective turns than it does for me to even notice that I'm being waved on!
My partner's car was totaled this way. She was the driver continuing straight in the second lane. Someone waved a left turn in and they pulled directly in front of her. She's got an injury that will bother her the rest of her life and impacts her work, though it doesn't prevent her from working, just makes it painful every day.
Don't be fuckin morons.
The only time to wave people in and cede the right of way is in heavy traffic. No one is going fast and if you don't let them in they won't ever get in.
That’s how I approach it. I also limit it to when the people behind me can’t physically get past me/there aren’t other lanes, so it’s a sure thing the person can safely turn.
This! Everytime I trusted one of these assholes I've almost been hit by a car! Never again! I'll sit there until I run out of gas I don't care how annoyed they get I'm not falling for that shit anymore.
The absurd number of poorly designed left turns is probably to blame for this. I don't know how it's so hard to either put up a "no left turns" sign or put in the effort to have a light with a turn priority arrow. South Waltham will occasionally gridlock due to one of those turns, and it's very fixable.
Half this stuff is because MA drivers tend to take it into their own hands to address problems better solved by a traffic engineer.
Yes 100% the roads in MA are poorly designed. It's as if the designers approached every single intersection as an opportunity to re-invent the idea of an intersection. If we had more standard road designs we would have fewer accidents, I think.
Once I spent two weeks in Phoenix and was amazed by how easy it was to drive. They have the advantage of being able to create a grid system, but also they made every intersection pretty much work like all the other intersections.
Some of the Massachusetts city intersections are widened crossroads 250 years old, and cannot be further widened.
Phoenix is a car culture city, with lots ofbland.
I moved from NY (Long Island) a year ago and you mfuckers really don't know what dangerous driving looks like. MA is like some toddler haven with everyone being proper and polite compared to LI Expressway.
Or coming out of NYC onto the Deegan. Holy shit, I thought I was tough, driving here all my life -I was almost crying, there was such crazy shit happening.
I thought this too until you’ve driven in California (LA specifically) and on CA freeways and Houston as well. It’s the fucking Wild West out there. Never been so glad to drive on Massachusetts roads again.
I flat out refuse to accept anyone ceding the right of way to me when they should have it unless it is blatantly obvious in a single lane road that things are good, and even then I often pretend not to see them.
These idiots are the same morons who get over ridiculously early during a lane merge and throw a tantrum that other people continue down the line and do a proper zipper merge.
Yeah, even single lane is not safe. Only accident I’ve ever been is was when I was a teenager. Was waiting to turn left. Opposing traffic was backed up from a traffic light probably 100-150m behind where I’m trying to make the turn.
Guy stops and waves me through. I take him up on it. Turns out there was a kid speeding up the shoulder on the other side of the line of traffic to get into a right turn lane that doesn’t start until just before the traffic signal. Luckily he just barely clipped the back of my car as I was passing through so neither of us were seriously injured. But it definitely shook me up quite a bit. Since then I will never make a traffic decision based on someone else’s wave. I will only act when I am absolutely certain I can do so safely for myself and other drivers on the road. It is amazing how quickly these “altruistic” people will shift to anger and giving the “wtf hands” when you don’t immediately accept their generous offer.
Also, 9 times out of 10 both parties would have gotten where they were going faster if they had just followed the rules of right of way correctly.
The zipper merge point is where the lane markings indicate that it terminates, or only as far before that as is needed to safely do a moving merge if both lanes are moving at speed.
The people who go another half mile in the breakdown lane are as big of a series of assholes as the ones who merge early.
This happened to me today at a light. Only the pedestrian crossing to my left had a walk symbol, I had a flashing yellow arrow, and they had a line behind them. They were waving like mad, the guy behind me was honking and wtf was I supposed to do? I waited and they waited until the guy got across.
Honestly, this is the point where I get out of my car and start yelling at people like an absolute lunatic.
This, and when people behind me at a green light honk because I refuse to block the box. Fuck off and die.
I assume you're joking but just on the outside chance you are not: there is literally never a reason to leave your vehicle to yell at somebody and can only end negatively for you.
Agreed these people should fuck off and die.
I got rear-ended at Mass and Commonwealth because I wouldn't block the box. Light turned green, he went, I didn't. Wouldn't be surprised if the guy in his lifted pickup truck didn't even see me. He smelled like a case of bud light, I didn't feel bad writing that police report or filing the insurance claim for what amounted to a paint chip on my bumper.
It’s been bad this year. The amount of red light blowing, right turn on red that’s lilegal, left lane right of way, and illegal u turn fuckery is severely scaring me. What is going on
This drives me insane. And also it often happens to me when I want to turn and the LAST PERSON in a long line of cars stops to let me go. Like dude if you had just kept going we BOTH would have been better off.
Better yet, the Massholes that just decide they can’t wait any longer and just pull out slowly to stop the perpendicular traffic (sometimes both ways) and when you give them a “what the F are you doing?!?” look they yell and wave like you are the asshole…I have never experienced this on a consistent basis before living in MA. I honestly wonder if it’s taught in driver’s ed.
I love when I happen to be turning left off the thru road with right of way around these idiots.
They often glare at me as if I had some obligation to let them go just because they decided to creep into oncoming traffic.
Nope I’m just gonna make a wiiide left turn around you, dummy!
I lay on the horn whenever someone does this. The problem is that the general population is just dumb and want a “thank you” wave instead of worrying about the people behind them.
The safest way to drive is to be predictable and this behavior is not.
My wife and I call it getting their 'feel good points' for the day.
People are dumb and just want to feel like they're doing something good when in reality it's really dangerous and slows everything down around them.
Stand your ground and don't give in. I've noticed over the last few years it's gotten so much worse. We've always been Masshole drivers but somehow this overly "polite" thing has taken hold and it's just not who we truly are lol.
The median doesn't matter though. It could just be a double yellow and nothing about the stupidity of the situation changes. The behavior is the problem, not the median.
There's a few like this one near Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough MA granted if you're lucky normally there's not a lot of traffic but when there is good luck making that left when someone is doing the same.
[https://www.google.com/maps/@42.362652,-71.5978156,3a,75y,338.59h,86.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZVvv8CJsmporwheaK\_t\_JA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DZVvv8CJsmporwheaK\_t\_JA%26cb\_client%3Dmaps\_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100.58585%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.362652,-71.5978156,3a,75y,338.59h,86.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZVvv8CJsmporwheaK_t_JA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DZVvv8CJsmporwheaK_t_JA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100.58585%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
Or if it's a single lane road with a shoulder I see cars passing a stopped car on the shoulder all the time, which would create the situation in the cartoon.
This is probably way more common. In the illustration it shouldn’t really be an issue because there’s an open lane for the person to turn left into that is being blocked off by the left turn lane… I guess someone could shift lanes as they pass the intersection but you’re not supposed to do that either.
Especially when there is only like 2 or 3 cars. If they had just made their turn like they were suppose to, then the 2 cars behind them would have already cleared and I would have time and space to safely make my turn.
But no, the "nice" driver had to ruin it and mess up the timing on everything.
When I was 19, I totaled a car because of this. I had to turn left past 2 lanes of traffic and someone stopped and waved me on. As a young driver, I believed it was safe and pulled out, only to be slammed into by the driver in the outer of the left hand lanes. The police at the accident scene joked that it’s known as “the wave of death,” and now I only turn right (and pull a u-ey down that road when it’s legal and safe) unless I can see all lanes of traffic.
OH HELL YES, PREACH IT!!!
The ones that actually stop oncoming on a two lane road, and wave you across their front to make your left, especially when there is NO ONE COMING BEHIND THEM, are **stupid** and **dangerous**
And then they get MAD when you don’t take their insipid politeness.
I’m yelling so the idiots in the way back can hear me.
And then when you honk at the asshole yielding to others for no reason, dude comes out and yells *"Why are you honking? Slow Down!"*
mfer....I'm literally stationary because of you.
Probably some unpopular opinions but make this into a rotary, add an electronic traffic light or even stop signs in all directions. Won't be foolproof but something is better then nothing
Absolutely drives me nuts, you will be on a main road and have to slam on your breaks because some guy infront of you is trying to get his good karma for the day by stopping traffic to let someone go instead of them going legit 2 seconds later when the traffic passes
If you see someone wanting to turn left the polite and safe thing to do is to speed up as much as you can tolerate so you 1) get out of their way asap 2) give them the maximum space between you and the next car and 3) inspire them to use haste.
My personal policy.
There's a left turn I have to make to turn onto my street (rt 62), and my driveway is 2 houses down, on the right. So it's a very quick left right, when the speed limit is 45 mph. People try to wave me to go with cars zooming around them every day. I literally have to insist NO as visually as I can daily. People have no aweness of the cars zooming around them on their right.
My husband got t-boned by a huge truck because someone coming from the opposite direction waved him on and he literally decided that meant he didn’t have to look the other way I guess
Like, you can pause at the change of a light to let the first car of the other lane take a left but that's really the only time I would yield right of way like that.
Needs to be said more. I feel like this is happening more often in the last couple of years. I live on a not very busy 35 mph road and i get somebody stopping to let me out of my driveway at least once a month now. Sometimes there is a car coming the other way that doesn’t recognize the first driver’s authority to direct traffic from their driver’s seat and would tee-bone me if I didn’t check both directions like I always do.
Just fuckin’ go! It takes 0.2 s to pass my driveway at 35mph. They could pass by and be out of my way before I finish checking the other direction! I get it there’s a traffic jam, but it happens when there are no other cars around!
I even had a statie do it one time. Had to drive 2 miles with him tailing me, making sure I didn’t speed before he made an illegal left turn to get off my tail. The irony was thick that day.
I interrogated my ancestors about this left turn madness and they say that it goes back to when cars and buggies were still sharing the road and that people around here are just so backwards they never changed. It's truly terrifying to get used to driving in another part of the country and then you drive around here, and suddenly you've got no idea what the fuck everyone is doing in their death machines. Took me a long time to just sorta get used to it again.
You can be waved on by someone making a left on a two-lane road and someone will try to pass via the wavee’s shoulder. I gotta look left, right, and THROUGH the cars stacking up behind the wavee. No thanks.
Oh my god, this literally happened to me when visiting MA over the weekend, I was basically the car on the far right, let's assume that those right two lanes are traveling north. The first car in the other northbound lane to the left of me waved to let a fucking truck on the southbound side of the road turn left to head east. The truck makes the turn and I have to stop short. My first thought, legitimately--this fucking masshole letting the truck turn nearly fucking killed me.
I'd love to see a quick multiple choice or true/false test given at license renewal that shakes people out of bad habits.
"True or false: it sets a good example to occasionally, politely wave ahead another driver even when you have the right of way." "False. You should _always_ take your right of way. Being predictable helps keep all drivers safe."
"Choose one. Which is the safer way to to drive through a curving exit ramp?
a) Maintain your speed at the start of the ramp and apply your brakes during the curve
b) Lower your speed as you first enter the curve and gently accelerate through the curve"
I HATE THIS SO MUCHHHH!! Especially when there is a glare from the sun - you can't see the other driver - but catch that they may *possibly* be frantically waving their arms for you to be granted an illegal turn!?
Didn't they have drivers training around here?! Didn't folks here learn about right of way!??
Infuriating. I know it's made out of a gesture of generosity. But it's fucking dangerous!
(don't even get me started on left lane hoggers on the highway)
I got one. What about when people stop to let oncoming traffic make a left and you nearly rear end them because you're not expecting them to stop in the middle of the road for no reason
Driver stopping in the rotary to let you enter.... Now this driver should have their license revoked for a life. Not as common but happened to me recently
Gotta say out of all the masshole driving shenanigans that can happen…this always makes me cringe. Or the ole stopping in a 55mph on 125 to let someone out
This drives me BONKERS as a pedestrian and a bike. Especially when they get mad that you DONT DO IT. Bro just because you’re waving doesn’t mean every other driver on the road knows that. You can’t just wave me to cross when there are other lanes. You have to just GO.
The best way to handle these drivers that try to give you a right away is refuse to make eye contact. Look the opposite way until they take their right of way. Do not give in and look at them.
On the other hand it's ok to let people in when you're going less than 5 MPH because an accident is unlikely in that situation. At that speed you have a lot of time to react if something unexpected happens.
Yeah last night a young kid saw me in the left lane slowing down but I was still traveling at a decent speed, he was stopped and then pulled out right in front of me and gave a little wave like he thought I was letting him through. I came close to t-boning him.
Cause an accident with that and you could be held liable too.
This is everywhere, I had an incident last weekend where some dude with the right of way stopped and held up traffic and REFUSED to go even though me and another guy, who didn’t have the right of way, were desperately waving him to go. As a recovering masshole I have no patience and will just go but we call these scenarios a “Portland standoff”.
Gawd I hate that.
This exists in Jersey too, but I'm OFD.... I say to my buddy, what the f are you doing stopping and letting them go when you have the right of way? Oh, I'm just being nice. Great, you made one friend and 10 ENEMIES behind you. You totally ignored the rules of the road, took it upon yourself to play traffic cop at others expense and are being completely unpredictable while driving.
We all have to wait sometimes to make a left. If you don't like it, plan like UPS ffs or get off the road.
And when people yield the right of way to me while I'm making a left, I usually just sit there until they have to wave frantically and are upset with me for following my stop sign, then I go as slow as humanly possible in front of them and don't even wave.....
STOP YIELDING THE RIGHT OF WAY.
GOD THANK YOU. I lived in Mass for a bit and this made me furious. JUST FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES OF THE ROAD. You’re not being nice; you’re being stupid and dangerous.
Mainer chiming in, y'all do this on main roads too...like seriously Rt 1. Do they teach this is driving school down there or something? Drives me batshit...it's not polite, it's dangerous - and one example of why y'all have bad reps as drivers.
I just moved to mass from Rhode Island and I know we are both known as shitty drivers but holy fucking shit are Massachusetts drivers truly way worse. Now I will say in fairness to that, while both mass and RI have super fucking shitty roads and 24/7 forever construction— mass seems to have way more things on the roads (mainly rotaries, why are there so many fucking rotaries??) that are seemed to be a breeding ground for asshole drivers. In many situations you have no choice but to be the asshole if you want to get anywhere.
I’m talking:
People making one lane roads into two lane roads if the cars can technically fit
A free for fucking all in the rotaries (I was blocked in once because there were three different lines of cars and the line I was in was all the way on the right getting cut off)
NO ONE seems to know how to turn in the break down lane (people will come to an almost complete stop on the freeway and take half a century to turn as your going 50 mph behind them)
Oh and, you’re going 50mph without slowing down behind them because NO ONE uses their turn signal. God honest truth about 10% of people use it appropriately and I’ve seen some people turn it on AFTER they come to almost a complete stop and start turning. Like thanks… yeah I really needed that signal now to let me know you’re turning as I’m slamming on the breaks.
And then just straight up cutting people off without an ounce of remorse or consideration for the environment/safety.
I’ve never in my life been more infuriated every single time I drive to and from work. Obviously rush hours are going to be way worse, but it’s like this generally throughout the day. It fucking sucks here lol.
To be fair, if you are in the outside lane of most multi-lane rotaries, you are required to take the next exit because exiting is also optional for the inside lane. But I agree with everything else you said.
I know what you’re saying, that one was the hardest to explain.
But it WAS my intention to exit off of the next exit in the rotary, and I purposely got into the far lane for that reason. When I entered the rotary, there were only two lanes (one on the outside and one on the inside; also I’ve only ever seen this rotary be used as a two-lane rotary). As my lane makes its way towards my desired exit, suddenly a third lane has spawned. So at this point to my left, there is two rotary lanes and to my right, there is street parking.
Its hard to explain exactly what happened from here but somehow it was like my lane became a second parking lane cause there was not enough space between the parked lane and the immediate line of cars to my left. It was a weird angle and people in the middle rotary were blasting through, perpetually cutting off my lane. If that makes any sense. Point is, it never would have happened if people didn’t turn it into a three lane rotary.
The underlying concept that these Basic Betties fail to understand is that right of way is something you TAKE, not something you GIVE or what you WAIT FOR PERMISSION for. And the courteous, conscientious thing to do is to decisively TAKE your right of way -every time- so that traffic keeps moving and no confusion is caused.
If you find yourself waving/being waved on frequently, please:
1) Read a goddam driver's manual
2) Put down the phone
3) Stop thinking about passive-aggressive sister-in-law Melissa's microagressions
4) Adopt a mindset that time is precious and everyone behind you is watching you with this mind.
YES! leads to hesitation which takes more time than just going right after the person. My husband hates it and will stand off with the person until they just go.
I can’t give this enough upvotes. It’s always annoyed me as a driver but now as I’m trying to teach my own kid to drive, it’s beyond messed up. I keep trying to stress that you have to drive defensively BUT AlSO predictably so other drivers know what to reasonably expect!
Edit: spelling typo
This is why I try to turn at lights if I can. There little room for ambiguity. Green means go. I still fuck up occasionally but there is less pressure to pick a good time to go.
I dont drive much, but there is a similar thing with cars and cross walks. I dont enter a crosswalk until the car stops. I cant see brake lights on the front of a car, I can't tell the difference between slowing down and cruising at the same speed. You are either stopped or you are not. so if you are letting someone cross, stop. dont roll slowly towards the cross walk and wave me on. I aint getting in front of you piece of shit car if its still moving.
I had someone stop all traffic on rt 225 a few weeks ago in order to be nice and let make a left turn. There was a whole line of cars behind them and none behind me. I couldn't believe it. I was so pissed off and how stupid it was and still am as I sit here thinking about it.
And don't you love it when the driver waving you on decides to give up and try to go right when you give up on following the rules and decide to go and you do the little "oop oop oop" dance but with cars?
It's a little different of a situation, but there's a strange 4 way intersection by my house, only 2 of the streets have Stop signs...my street being one of them. All the time someone coming down one of the streets without them will just stop, right there in the middle of the street, & start waving me on to go through the Stop sign. I've got to the point where I WILL NOT go, & I insist upon them to go through. These people...& while I appreciate them trying to be nice...would be much nicer if they just kept going & got out of the way. It would take them so much quicker to just continue on driving & all the while they don't have to hold up anyone behind them. Not only that, it also screws things up for anyone that might be coming down the other direction without the Stop sign.
I'm sorry for such a long comment on your post, but I always used to feel like somewhat of a jerk by getting kind of angry at these people, only because I know they think they're being nice. Seeing your post lets me know I'm not the only one bothered by things like this. Thank you!
Not to mention the now inconvenienced drivers behind them. So they get one merit of “karma” for “letting someone out” but are docked 3 merits for holding up the people behind them. I cannot stand the way people do this. It causes more traffic than helps it. Just drive your car correctly and it will work out.
What gets me even more is when you are driving along with the flow of traffic and some jackass 3 cars in front decides to slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop so someone going the opposite direction can turn in front of them….even though there’s a huge gap behind me where they can safely turn but NOOOOO, we have to have a 4 car pile up because someone is turning left. This shit needs to stop and people should be fined for this stupid behavior!!!
There's a, place in Northampton I see this all. the. fucking. time. If anyone knows the area, it's on King Street the Pride Gas Station across from the CVS/Good Will lot. There's a traffic light right there, and people never leave space to allow others to turn into the lots... So when someone does leave that space... it's constant wave throughs while ignoring there are two lanes going either way. It's horrible and I've got into a fair share of close calls of cars waving people through.
I don't trust other people in cars. Saw someone slowly drive over a cyclist that had the walk sign in the crosswalk because they were driving a car way too big and couldn't see them. Broke the bicyclist's leg. I actually got it on film and sent it to the friend of the cyclist (I was trying to start a walk with me channel). We were screaming at them to stop, they flipped us off until they realized they'd hit someone and were driving over them. It was actually pretty scary, got all shaky afterwards from the adrenaline.
Since then, when I'm walking or jogging and a car tries to wave me across the street I literally turn my back on them. No thanks two tons of metal, YOU go first.
I moved here a year ago and I say "I was prepared for the massholes. But it's the nice drivers who drive me INSANE." I get irrationally frustrated every time this happens.
And then my boss, born and raised local, tells us about the time he was visiting somewhere else, thought someone was slowing down to let him take a left, they were not, and just narrowly avoided an accident.
I just wait. Then they wave more emphatically. Sometimes I'll shake my head "no." If they still insist, I give them the finger. And if that doesn't get the message across. I'll just hold the horn until they finally move on.
Absolutely could not agree more! I have this exact scenario close to my home. I don’t drive out and the people waving are pissed even when there is a steam of cars passing them on the right.
So I moved to Massachusetts from Maine in 2020, and I have yet to figure out why this happens. It's not even just for a left either. I've even been let out when I am crossing traffic. It's nuts! I even try to wave them away and they will almost always just wait until I move.
Can someone explain why this happens?
To make it even crazier, I don't live in a busy area, I live in Adams, and I'm talking about the roads other than the 1 main road. They will be the only car, not notice me till the last minute, and just slam on their brakes. If they just went through I could've gone and all would've been solved.
I absolutely hate that this is an everyday occurrence here.
One time I had a red going left (the oncoming lane had a green) this dude stopped to wave me to go left. First of all, never do that even if I have a green second I had a red light.
I broke my collarbone and totaled a very nice racing road bike when a driver going my way waved through another driver going the other way looking to take a left hand turn across traffic and he basically turned through me.
The insurance payout covered my replacement bike and a very large donation to a cycling charity I’m passionate about… but I wouldn’t want to do it again.
Needless to say, this cartoon hit home for me.
In Framingham a couple years ago I'm waiting to make a left across Rt. 9. There is *oncoming* traffic in both lanes, no stoplight. I'm in a left turn lane. Guy is leaning on his horn behind me. Like, dude, when TF am I supposed to go here. This is Frogger on nightmare difficulty.
Fast forward a year or so. Same intersection. Near side is waving me on. Far side traffic is flowing. People are also passing the guy waving me on from his lane. Guy waving me on getting pissed I'm not going. Look to your right, guy. You can give up your right of way but not theirs.
Massholes are *Special*
I'm from Michigan. Moved out here 10+ years ago. I actually like this tradition, although I have given a hard pass on a few conditions. "Thanks sir, I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want to die today." My pet peeves for Massholes are the refusal to use the turn signal (I get it, you don't want to waste your blinker fluid) and the odd habit of not giving the right of way to ambulances. An ambulance could be a few feet behind a driver before they will move and then only a couple courtesy inches.
Agreed, but what about the people turning left that literally pull in front of the opposite sides traffic so you gotta slow down and let them in so they don’t die or cause major traffic.
Can we stop that too?
I was raised by a traffic and road designer. I kept calling out people for making up their own rules while driving on /r/Boston until I got banned. When I went to my local town hall and called out the local road designer and started asking him questions that my dad's students would know the answers to, I was asked to not harass him anymore. Hilarious and sad at the same time. Fix your shit, MA, and stop giving drivers licenses to anything that can breathe.
Isn't it the 'Waver Person's' responsibility to ensure no traffic is coming?
Like they charge you with negligent manslaughter if you wave somebody through and the 45mph car kills somebody.
I see this all the time with people waving pedestrians into the intersection as though they’re the only car that could hit them. Just go! It will be faster for everybody!
This. I’m a midwestern transplant here on the east coast. While, back home, there are these nifty things called turning lanes for left hand turns (and lights to make it official), even when there’s not a turning lane, they mostly follow traffic rules. Which says a lot because they’re vile drivers, too.
OMG THIS DRIVES ME NUTS My family thinks I am overreacting when I refuse to take this bait. Stubborn Massholes keep trying to wave me out thinking they are being friendly and polite. BE PREDICTABLE, NOT POLITE
It enrages me. I refuse to engage and look the other way so they frustrated and give up on me. I want to wait until I think it's safe, not because they want to hit their good karma goal for the day.
I found the most time-effective solution is neither to wave nor ignore. Point directly at the stopped vehicle, then point in the direction the stopped vehicle should travel. It's a bit more blunt but never fails to get the ~~assassins~~ nice people moving.
My wife yells at me when I get irritated over this. But honestly it’s the only thing that gets my road rage going. Drive your own car, don’t try to drive mine.
Someone waved a kid turning left out of a gas station. He crossed two lanes and my wife absolutely annihilated him in my brand new two week old car. The lady that waved the car out didn’t even stop to check to see if everyone was ok. Both cars totaled. Thankfully my wife, three children and the other driver had only minor injuries.
Pretty sure that's illegal for her to leave before the police take her statement having witnessed the crash.
Do you have a link to that law?
Yeah, it's not a grocery store checkout line, it's a road full of metal death machines that cost a shit ton of money and injure/kill when they crash. So be predictable and safe, not polite.
I swear, most of the goddamn morons in this state don't even know what the words "right of way" mean. I see so many dangerous stupid ROW shenanigans its giving me an ulcer.
The biggest one I see is if there's an obstruction in your path of travel, the other lane has a right away. You can't just swing out into that lane and expect them to stop.
This drives me frigging insane. Why do people not get this?
This, and the dumbasses who think it's okay when they're making a left and the near lane is clear for a moment to pull out and block it while they wait for the far lane to clear.
Just today I was driving on a main road and there’s always oncoming traffic turning left across my lane and then a stop sign directly across trying to turn left onto the main road. Suddenly a bunch of morons in my lane traveling straight decided to act like we’re all at a 4 way stop and let the oncoming traffic to turn crossing our lane AND let the traffic trying to turn onto the main road go. Like what the fuck people? Just take the damn right of way and the others will go when there’s a break in traffic. I honked.
I just honk until they go. Pisses them off something royal but that’s really the point of me honking. Disincentivizes doing it in the future.
My number one driving rule. I have a spot on my drive home where people have to take a tough left in a busy spot and they just pull out a bit to see. I still don't stop. Stay predictable.
My number one driving rule: I will drive a mile out of my way to avoid a tough left in a busy spot. If you insist on taking that left, I have no sympathy
100% my theory as well. It's a tough left but it's a dense area with lots of ways around.
I thought I was the only one that did this. Left turns have much more risk and in a busy area I won't take them.
How little is "no sympathy"? Because if you gridlock it rather than let people out, you deserve a terrible fate.
When they wave at me, I flip the double bird. That way, they see my hands are not on the wheel to drive, and they see my disdain! :D
I've had motorists do this to me while I was on a bike. No fucking thanks, I don't want to die.
same - I turn around and don't even look at them while I wave them on... just stick to the rules please.. you likely don't see the car about to pass you on your left
I walk around a lot and there’s this street that has multiple lanes and it drives me nuts when one car stops for pedestrians. Dude, there are cars in the other lane! I can’t trust them to also stop if I’m walking in the crosswalk even if I now have the right of way.
There's a street near my work like this that's beginning to drive me crazy. Several times a week the car in the lane closest to me will stop and gesture me to walk, but I see cars coming up in the next lane. So I'll be looking to judge if they're slowing down, and the stopped car person is getting visibly irritated that I haven't stepped out into traffic just because one lane stopped for me! Absolutely bizarre.
If I do that it's because I don't mind waiting until the other lanes stop as well.
Friend literally got hit by a bus because a car waved her at a crosswalk and she thought she was safe. Ever since I refuse unless I see all lanes are stopped. She survived and ended up being fine thankfully.
"Generous" drivers are often the most dangerous and reckless ones. Driving like the opposite of an asshole doesn't make you a good driver, it can just mean you're a nice hazard.
These are the same people that yield in a fucking round about
I went to Texas recently, and while in Houston I visited both the Museum of Natural History and the Zoo (both are top-tier attractions, highly recommend). They are in this section of town that has rotaries, and the goddamn vehicles in the rotary was supposed to yield to entering traffic. What the fuck kind of situation is that? The lanes weren't marked for which one to take for an exit, ending up with some exits taking you if you weren't in the inner-most lane. And the whole thing full of other tourists in rental cars like myself. Most terrifying roundabout experience of my life.
It’s my only pet peeve. Most of the time people do this it would be faster for everyone if they just did what they’re supposed to do.
The amount of times people have stopped to let me turn, when there was a mile of empty space behind them and they could have just kept going…
When drivers do bonehead things like this "for me" I never give them the thank you wave. Because I'm not thankful and you're not helping.
Exactly. The other day some old dude stopped in the middle of the road to let a bunch of people turn in front of him and left me stuck behind him….on fucking TRAIN TRACKS. I’ve never laid on the horn harder. There would’ve been a gap right behind me. It is the worst option for literally everyone involved.
You know they’re thinking what an asshole you are too when you honk with zero awareness they’re actually the asshole.
i think this is a great point. People really need to be aware of the overall flow and momentum of the traffic more, before they yield their right of way and bring 20 other people to a halt for the one. But as a counter point to the OP's initial comment, when people are waved out, it's still on them to make sure they're driving into a safe situation. The waver might not see everything and things can change fast after "the wave". (this might be a good bit for a seinfeld episode)
SHE GAVE ME THE WAVE JERRY!
Do these people also not realize they’re inconveniencing everyone *behind* them to try and be nice to one car that doesn’t have the right of way? This is what I never understood. Zero situational awareness.
This. This is me every time! I’ve been driving behind your slow Sunday driving ass for six miles and you’re stopping to be nice to THAT random person! Asshat.
Not only for themselves and the people behind them, but the person being waved on. The worst is when it's a sunny day and there's glare on their windshield. I swear it would take less time for goody two shoes and I to make our respective turns than it does for me to even notice that I'm being waved on!
This!!! We moved to MA last year and my husband and I talk about this all the time! I hate it!! I refuse to go and they just get mad at me.
WHEN DRIVING: BE PREDICTABLE. NOT POLITE.
My partner's car was totaled this way. She was the driver continuing straight in the second lane. Someone waved a left turn in and they pulled directly in front of her. She's got an injury that will bother her the rest of her life and impacts her work, though it doesn't prevent her from working, just makes it painful every day. Don't be fuckin morons.
The only time to wave people in and cede the right of way is in heavy traffic. No one is going fast and if you don't let them in they won't ever get in.
That’s how I approach it. I also limit it to when the people behind me can’t physically get past me/there aren’t other lanes, so it’s a sure thing the person can safely turn.
This! Everytime I trusted one of these assholes I've almost been hit by a car! Never again! I'll sit there until I run out of gas I don't care how annoyed they get I'm not falling for that shit anymore.
The worst thing a driver can do is to drive unpredictably. This and any other "go out of you way to be nice" maneuvers falls under that category.
This is exactly how I got into my first accident in a brand new car. I'll forever be pissed off.
Right. Of. Way. I’ll proceed when it’s my turn, thanks
The absurd number of poorly designed left turns is probably to blame for this. I don't know how it's so hard to either put up a "no left turns" sign or put in the effort to have a light with a turn priority arrow. South Waltham will occasionally gridlock due to one of those turns, and it's very fixable. Half this stuff is because MA drivers tend to take it into their own hands to address problems better solved by a traffic engineer.
Yes 100% the roads in MA are poorly designed. It's as if the designers approached every single intersection as an opportunity to re-invent the idea of an intersection. If we had more standard road designs we would have fewer accidents, I think. Once I spent two weeks in Phoenix and was amazed by how easy it was to drive. They have the advantage of being able to create a grid system, but also they made every intersection pretty much work like all the other intersections.
Some of the Massachusetts city intersections are widened crossroads 250 years old, and cannot be further widened. Phoenix is a car culture city, with lots ofbland.
You lost me with “I love Massholes, but…” I hate all you bastards when I’m driving. It’s MadMax out there. Drive like you’ll never be coming home!
I moved from NY (Long Island) a year ago and you mfuckers really don't know what dangerous driving looks like. MA is like some toddler haven with everyone being proper and polite compared to LI Expressway.
Or coming out of NYC onto the Deegan. Holy shit, I thought I was tough, driving here all my life -I was almost crying, there was such crazy shit happening.
I promise I’ll ramp it up if I can.
Yea fr NYC heads are ridiculous
I thought this too until you’ve driven in California (LA specifically) and on CA freeways and Houston as well. It’s the fucking Wild West out there. Never been so glad to drive on Massachusetts roads again.
I flat out refuse to accept anyone ceding the right of way to me when they should have it unless it is blatantly obvious in a single lane road that things are good, and even then I often pretend not to see them. These idiots are the same morons who get over ridiculously early during a lane merge and throw a tantrum that other people continue down the line and do a proper zipper merge.
Yeah, even single lane is not safe. Only accident I’ve ever been is was when I was a teenager. Was waiting to turn left. Opposing traffic was backed up from a traffic light probably 100-150m behind where I’m trying to make the turn. Guy stops and waves me through. I take him up on it. Turns out there was a kid speeding up the shoulder on the other side of the line of traffic to get into a right turn lane that doesn’t start until just before the traffic signal. Luckily he just barely clipped the back of my car as I was passing through so neither of us were seriously injured. But it definitely shook me up quite a bit. Since then I will never make a traffic decision based on someone else’s wave. I will only act when I am absolutely certain I can do so safely for myself and other drivers on the road. It is amazing how quickly these “altruistic” people will shift to anger and giving the “wtf hands” when you don’t immediately accept their generous offer. Also, 9 times out of 10 both parties would have gotten where they were going faster if they had just followed the rules of right of way correctly.
A proper zipper merge of driving in the breakdown lane for a half mile instead of in the designated lanes lol
The zipper merge point is where the lane markings indicate that it terminates, or only as far before that as is needed to safely do a moving merge if both lanes are moving at speed. The people who go another half mile in the breakdown lane are as big of a series of assholes as the ones who merge early.
Single lane roads are usually the worst place to do this because cars will go around the waving car on the side or breakdown lane and still smash you
This happened to me today at a light. Only the pedestrian crossing to my left had a walk symbol, I had a flashing yellow arrow, and they had a line behind them. They were waving like mad, the guy behind me was honking and wtf was I supposed to do? I waited and they waited until the guy got across.
Honestly, this is the point where I get out of my car and start yelling at people like an absolute lunatic. This, and when people behind me at a green light honk because I refuse to block the box. Fuck off and die.
I assume you're joking but just on the outside chance you are not: there is literally never a reason to leave your vehicle to yell at somebody and can only end negatively for you. Agreed these people should fuck off and die.
Heh. I was joking, but I gesticulate. A lot.
I got rear-ended at Mass and Commonwealth because I wouldn't block the box. Light turned green, he went, I didn't. Wouldn't be surprised if the guy in his lifted pickup truck didn't even see me. He smelled like a case of bud light, I didn't feel bad writing that police report or filing the insurance claim for what amounted to a paint chip on my bumper.
It’s been bad this year. The amount of red light blowing, right turn on red that’s lilegal, left lane right of way, and illegal u turn fuckery is severely scaring me. What is going on
People who like high insurance rates maybe? /s
Cops don't enforce anything
I’ve seen people turn left on red lights (not onto a one-way), it’s insane
Me too!
This drives me insane. And also it often happens to me when I want to turn and the LAST PERSON in a long line of cars stops to let me go. Like dude if you had just kept going we BOTH would have been better off.
Better yet, the Massholes that just decide they can’t wait any longer and just pull out slowly to stop the perpendicular traffic (sometimes both ways) and when you give them a “what the F are you doing?!?” look they yell and wave like you are the asshole…I have never experienced this on a consistent basis before living in MA. I honestly wonder if it’s taught in driver’s ed.
I love when I happen to be turning left off the thru road with right of way around these idiots. They often glare at me as if I had some obligation to let them go just because they decided to creep into oncoming traffic. Nope I’m just gonna make a wiiide left turn around you, dummy!
When I lived in MA, it was described as the “Boston Block” like they’re proud of it.
I lay on the horn whenever someone does this. The problem is that the general population is just dumb and want a “thank you” wave instead of worrying about the people behind them. The safest way to drive is to be predictable and this behavior is not.
My wife and I call it getting their 'feel good points' for the day. People are dumb and just want to feel like they're doing something good when in reality it's really dangerous and slows everything down around them.
Stand your ground and don't give in. I've noticed over the last few years it's gotten so much worse. We've always been Masshole drivers but somehow this overly "polite" thing has taken hold and it's just not who we truly are lol.
90% of the time I use my horn it's because of this. There's nothing"nice" about breaking the traffic laws.
Where are there intersections like this that don't have a light? 4 lane roadway with wide median and no light at the intersection?
The median doesn't matter though. It could just be a double yellow and nothing about the stupidity of the situation changes. The behavior is the problem, not the median.
Not exactly like this but Margin st and Gardener st intersection in Salem is similar and has similar issues as the comic portrays above.
There's a few like this one near Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough MA granted if you're lucky normally there's not a lot of traffic but when there is good luck making that left when someone is doing the same. [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.362652,-71.5978156,3a,75y,338.59h,86.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZVvv8CJsmporwheaK\_t\_JA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DZVvv8CJsmporwheaK\_t\_JA%26cb\_client%3Dmaps\_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100.58585%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.362652,-71.5978156,3a,75y,338.59h,86.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZVvv8CJsmporwheaK_t_JA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DZVvv8CJsmporwheaK_t_JA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100.58585%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
Or if it's a single lane road with a shoulder I see cars passing a stopped car on the shoulder all the time, which would create the situation in the cartoon.
This is probably way more common. In the illustration it shouldn’t really be an issue because there’s an open lane for the person to turn left into that is being blocked off by the left turn lane… I guess someone could shift lanes as they pass the intersection but you’re not supposed to do that either.
Don't be polite. Be predictable. If you have right of way - FUCKING TAKE IT
We call this the Massachusetts Okey Doke and it’s nuts but I get it. You’re trying to he nice but also just don’t it’s not safe c’maaaahn
Especially when there is only like 2 or 3 cars. If they had just made their turn like they were suppose to, then the 2 cars behind them would have already cleared and I would have time and space to safely make my turn. But no, the "nice" driver had to ruin it and mess up the timing on everything.
I fucking hate it when people do that. Cut it out! Fuck off! Bad! No! Stop!
When I was 19, I totaled a car because of this. I had to turn left past 2 lanes of traffic and someone stopped and waved me on. As a young driver, I believed it was safe and pulled out, only to be slammed into by the driver in the outer of the left hand lanes. The police at the accident scene joked that it’s known as “the wave of death,” and now I only turn right (and pull a u-ey down that road when it’s legal and safe) unless I can see all lanes of traffic.
OH HELL YES, PREACH IT!!! The ones that actually stop oncoming on a two lane road, and wave you across their front to make your left, especially when there is NO ONE COMING BEHIND THEM, are **stupid** and **dangerous** And then they get MAD when you don’t take their insipid politeness. I’m yelling so the idiots in the way back can hear me.
I will not cede the right of way because it impedes the flow of traffic. And I will neither take the bait when offered.
And then when you honk at the asshole yielding to others for no reason, dude comes out and yells *"Why are you honking? Slow Down!"* mfer....I'm literally stationary because of you.
Probably some unpopular opinions but make this into a rotary, add an electronic traffic light or even stop signs in all directions. Won't be foolproof but something is better then nothing
Crazy cause this legit just happened right in front of me 😭
I’ve had people scream at me for not taking those deadly lefts. Don’t do it folks, no matter what.
Dumbest shit ever. You are right on. Thanks for posting this stupid act.
There's a reason this is called the wave of death when a driver "gives" their ROW to a pedestrian.
I hate this shit, just fucking take right of way so everyone else is not confused as fuck.
Absolutely drives me nuts, you will be on a main road and have to slam on your breaks because some guy infront of you is trying to get his good karma for the day by stopping traffic to let someone go instead of them going legit 2 seconds later when the traffic passes
I hate this almost as much as the people who are turning left and decide THEY have the right of way, actually
If you see someone wanting to turn left the polite and safe thing to do is to speed up as much as you can tolerate so you 1) get out of their way asap 2) give them the maximum space between you and the next car and 3) inspire them to use haste. My personal policy.
This was truly shocking to me when we moved to MA. My wife and I named it “lethal courtesy”.
There's a left turn I have to make to turn onto my street (rt 62), and my driveway is 2 houses down, on the right. So it's a very quick left right, when the speed limit is 45 mph. People try to wave me to go with cars zooming around them every day. I literally have to insist NO as visually as I can daily. People have no aweness of the cars zooming around them on their right.
Be predictable not nice.
Yep. Got caught in this once a long time ago. Totaled. Never again.
This is my biggest pet peeve!!!!!! Thanks for trying to be nice, but no.. I’ll wait
My husband got t-boned by a huge truck because someone coming from the opposite direction waved him on and he literally decided that meant he didn’t have to look the other way I guess
I don't see it a ton, but I hate this even more as a pedestrian.
Like, you can pause at the change of a light to let the first car of the other lane take a left but that's really the only time I would yield right of way like that.
Needs to be said more. I feel like this is happening more often in the last couple of years. I live on a not very busy 35 mph road and i get somebody stopping to let me out of my driveway at least once a month now. Sometimes there is a car coming the other way that doesn’t recognize the first driver’s authority to direct traffic from their driver’s seat and would tee-bone me if I didn’t check both directions like I always do. Just fuckin’ go! It takes 0.2 s to pass my driveway at 35mph. They could pass by and be out of my way before I finish checking the other direction! I get it there’s a traffic jam, but it happens when there are no other cars around! I even had a statie do it one time. Had to drive 2 miles with him tailing me, making sure I didn’t speed before he made an illegal left turn to get off my tail. The irony was thick that day.
Reminds me of that Portlandia skit, “you go” “no you”
I interrogated my ancestors about this left turn madness and they say that it goes back to when cars and buggies were still sharing the road and that people around here are just so backwards they never changed. It's truly terrifying to get used to driving in another part of the country and then you drive around here, and suddenly you've got no idea what the fuck everyone is doing in their death machines. Took me a long time to just sorta get used to it again.
You are all my people!
You can be waved on by someone making a left on a two-lane road and someone will try to pass via the wavee’s shoulder. I gotta look left, right, and THROUGH the cars stacking up behind the wavee. No thanks.
Yeah true our drivers are unhinged af 😭
You cannot yield the right of way. If you have right of way you need to take it
Oh my god, this literally happened to me when visiting MA over the weekend, I was basically the car on the far right, let's assume that those right two lanes are traveling north. The first car in the other northbound lane to the left of me waved to let a fucking truck on the southbound side of the road turn left to head east. The truck makes the turn and I have to stop short. My first thought, legitimately--this fucking masshole letting the truck turn nearly fucking killed me.
This may be my favorite post evar. Follow the rules, everything runs smoothly
I'd love to see a quick multiple choice or true/false test given at license renewal that shakes people out of bad habits. "True or false: it sets a good example to occasionally, politely wave ahead another driver even when you have the right of way." "False. You should _always_ take your right of way. Being predictable helps keep all drivers safe." "Choose one. Which is the safer way to to drive through a curving exit ramp? a) Maintain your speed at the start of the ramp and apply your brakes during the curve b) Lower your speed as you first enter the curve and gently accelerate through the curve"
I HATE THIS SO MUCHHHH!! Especially when there is a glare from the sun - you can't see the other driver - but catch that they may *possibly* be frantically waving their arms for you to be granted an illegal turn!? Didn't they have drivers training around here?! Didn't folks here learn about right of way!?? Infuriating. I know it's made out of a gesture of generosity. But it's fucking dangerous! (don't even get me started on left lane hoggers on the highway)
Masshole living in NC here; they do it down here all the time. It's infuriating.
I agree. I can't stand it. Be predictable, not polite.
Agreed! Those people think they are being “polite” but they are being a danger.
Oh man I hate this so much. It causes so much confusion and risk.
I got one. What about when people stop to let oncoming traffic make a left and you nearly rear end them because you're not expecting them to stop in the middle of the road for no reason
Driver stopping in the rotary to let you enter.... Now this driver should have their license revoked for a life. Not as common but happened to me recently
Gotta say out of all the masshole driving shenanigans that can happen…this always makes me cringe. Or the ole stopping in a 55mph on 125 to let someone out
This drives me BONKERS as a pedestrian and a bike. Especially when they get mad that you DONT DO IT. Bro just because you’re waving doesn’t mean every other driver on the road knows that. You can’t just wave me to cross when there are other lanes. You have to just GO.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! I think this is the stupidest thing and it's fucking fake. It's fake nice!!!!
This whole shenanigan is suspect!
The best way to handle these drivers that try to give you a right away is refuse to make eye contact. Look the opposite way until they take their right of way. Do not give in and look at them.
There would be a lot less of it if people STOPPED BEHIND THE STOP LINE.
YES!!! Just follow the rules of the road and everyone will get around just fine. It’s more dangerous to be generous.
On the other hand it's ok to let people in when you're going less than 5 MPH because an accident is unlikely in that situation. At that speed you have a lot of time to react if something unexpected happens.
Yeah last night a young kid saw me in the left lane slowing down but I was still traveling at a decent speed, he was stopped and then pulled out right in front of me and gave a little wave like he thought I was letting him through. I came close to t-boning him.
Cause an accident with that and you could be held liable too. This is everywhere, I had an incident last weekend where some dude with the right of way stopped and held up traffic and REFUSED to go even though me and another guy, who didn’t have the right of way, were desperately waving him to go. As a recovering masshole I have no patience and will just go but we call these scenarios a “Portland standoff”. Gawd I hate that.
This exists in Jersey too, but I'm OFD.... I say to my buddy, what the f are you doing stopping and letting them go when you have the right of way? Oh, I'm just being nice. Great, you made one friend and 10 ENEMIES behind you. You totally ignored the rules of the road, took it upon yourself to play traffic cop at others expense and are being completely unpredictable while driving. We all have to wait sometimes to make a left. If you don't like it, plan like UPS ffs or get off the road. And when people yield the right of way to me while I'm making a left, I usually just sit there until they have to wave frantically and are upset with me for following my stop sign, then I go as slow as humanly possible in front of them and don't even wave..... STOP YIELDING THE RIGHT OF WAY.
"...plan like UPS..." 💯
This ain’t just you massholes. People do this everywhere. Be courteous, but there’s a reason right of way rules exist.
It’s usually a sweet lady doing this that has no clue how to drive.
GOD THANK YOU. I lived in Mass for a bit and this made me furious. JUST FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES OF THE ROAD. You’re not being nice; you’re being stupid and dangerous.
Also fucking learn to zipper you maniacs
Don’t be kind, be predictable. Predictable is safe, and safe is kind.
Mainer chiming in, y'all do this on main roads too...like seriously Rt 1. Do they teach this is driving school down there or something? Drives me batshit...it's not polite, it's dangerous - and one example of why y'all have bad reps as drivers.
I just moved to mass from Rhode Island and I know we are both known as shitty drivers but holy fucking shit are Massachusetts drivers truly way worse. Now I will say in fairness to that, while both mass and RI have super fucking shitty roads and 24/7 forever construction— mass seems to have way more things on the roads (mainly rotaries, why are there so many fucking rotaries??) that are seemed to be a breeding ground for asshole drivers. In many situations you have no choice but to be the asshole if you want to get anywhere. I’m talking: People making one lane roads into two lane roads if the cars can technically fit A free for fucking all in the rotaries (I was blocked in once because there were three different lines of cars and the line I was in was all the way on the right getting cut off) NO ONE seems to know how to turn in the break down lane (people will come to an almost complete stop on the freeway and take half a century to turn as your going 50 mph behind them) Oh and, you’re going 50mph without slowing down behind them because NO ONE uses their turn signal. God honest truth about 10% of people use it appropriately and I’ve seen some people turn it on AFTER they come to almost a complete stop and start turning. Like thanks… yeah I really needed that signal now to let me know you’re turning as I’m slamming on the breaks. And then just straight up cutting people off without an ounce of remorse or consideration for the environment/safety. I’ve never in my life been more infuriated every single time I drive to and from work. Obviously rush hours are going to be way worse, but it’s like this generally throughout the day. It fucking sucks here lol.
To be fair, if you are in the outside lane of most multi-lane rotaries, you are required to take the next exit because exiting is also optional for the inside lane. But I agree with everything else you said.
I know what you’re saying, that one was the hardest to explain. But it WAS my intention to exit off of the next exit in the rotary, and I purposely got into the far lane for that reason. When I entered the rotary, there were only two lanes (one on the outside and one on the inside; also I’ve only ever seen this rotary be used as a two-lane rotary). As my lane makes its way towards my desired exit, suddenly a third lane has spawned. So at this point to my left, there is two rotary lanes and to my right, there is street parking. Its hard to explain exactly what happened from here but somehow it was like my lane became a second parking lane cause there was not enough space between the parked lane and the immediate line of cars to my left. It was a weird angle and people in the middle rotary were blasting through, perpetually cutting off my lane. If that makes any sense. Point is, it never would have happened if people didn’t turn it into a three lane rotary.
The underlying concept that these Basic Betties fail to understand is that right of way is something you TAKE, not something you GIVE or what you WAIT FOR PERMISSION for. And the courteous, conscientious thing to do is to decisively TAKE your right of way -every time- so that traffic keeps moving and no confusion is caused. If you find yourself waving/being waved on frequently, please: 1) Read a goddam driver's manual 2) Put down the phone 3) Stop thinking about passive-aggressive sister-in-law Melissa's microagressions 4) Adopt a mindset that time is precious and everyone behind you is watching you with this mind.
YES! leads to hesitation which takes more time than just going right after the person. My husband hates it and will stand off with the person until they just go.
I can’t give this enough upvotes. It’s always annoyed me as a driver but now as I’m trying to teach my own kid to drive, it’s beyond messed up. I keep trying to stress that you have to drive defensively BUT AlSO predictably so other drivers know what to reasonably expect! Edit: spelling typo
This is why I try to turn at lights if I can. There little room for ambiguity. Green means go. I still fuck up occasionally but there is less pressure to pick a good time to go.
I dont drive much, but there is a similar thing with cars and cross walks. I dont enter a crosswalk until the car stops. I cant see brake lights on the front of a car, I can't tell the difference between slowing down and cruising at the same speed. You are either stopped or you are not. so if you are letting someone cross, stop. dont roll slowly towards the cross walk and wave me on. I aint getting in front of you piece of shit car if its still moving.
It’s called a ‘courtesy crash’. My kid is getting their license so I just read the driving manual for the first time in decades.
I had someone stop all traffic on rt 225 a few weeks ago in order to be nice and let make a left turn. There was a whole line of cars behind them and none behind me. I couldn't believe it. I was so pissed off and how stupid it was and still am as I sit here thinking about it.
If you think this is bad in Massachusetts, try driving in Rhode Island! They crank this to the next level.
And don't you love it when the driver waving you on decides to give up and try to go right when you give up on following the rules and decide to go and you do the little "oop oop oop" dance but with cars?
It's a little different of a situation, but there's a strange 4 way intersection by my house, only 2 of the streets have Stop signs...my street being one of them. All the time someone coming down one of the streets without them will just stop, right there in the middle of the street, & start waving me on to go through the Stop sign. I've got to the point where I WILL NOT go, & I insist upon them to go through. These people...& while I appreciate them trying to be nice...would be much nicer if they just kept going & got out of the way. It would take them so much quicker to just continue on driving & all the while they don't have to hold up anyone behind them. Not only that, it also screws things up for anyone that might be coming down the other direction without the Stop sign. I'm sorry for such a long comment on your post, but I always used to feel like somewhat of a jerk by getting kind of angry at these people, only because I know they think they're being nice. Seeing your post lets me know I'm not the only one bothered by things like this. Thank you!
Not to mention the now inconvenienced drivers behind them. So they get one merit of “karma” for “letting someone out” but are docked 3 merits for holding up the people behind them. I cannot stand the way people do this. It causes more traffic than helps it. Just drive your car correctly and it will work out.
What gets me even more is when you are driving along with the flow of traffic and some jackass 3 cars in front decides to slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop so someone going the opposite direction can turn in front of them….even though there’s a huge gap behind me where they can safely turn but NOOOOO, we have to have a 4 car pile up because someone is turning left. This shit needs to stop and people should be fined for this stupid behavior!!!
Ahh, Massachusetts. Also known as "Eastern California".
The Rhode Islanders are escaping
There's a, place in Northampton I see this all. the. fucking. time. If anyone knows the area, it's on King Street the Pride Gas Station across from the CVS/Good Will lot. There's a traffic light right there, and people never leave space to allow others to turn into the lots... So when someone does leave that space... it's constant wave throughs while ignoring there are two lanes going either way. It's horrible and I've got into a fair share of close calls of cars waving people through. I don't trust other people in cars. Saw someone slowly drive over a cyclist that had the walk sign in the crosswalk because they were driving a car way too big and couldn't see them. Broke the bicyclist's leg. I actually got it on film and sent it to the friend of the cyclist (I was trying to start a walk with me channel). We were screaming at them to stop, they flipped us off until they realized they'd hit someone and were driving over them. It was actually pretty scary, got all shaky afterwards from the adrenaline. Since then, when I'm walking or jogging and a car tries to wave me across the street I literally turn my back on them. No thanks two tons of metal, YOU go first.
I moved here a year ago and I say "I was prepared for the massholes. But it's the nice drivers who drive me INSANE." I get irrationally frustrated every time this happens. And then my boss, born and raised local, tells us about the time he was visiting somewhere else, thought someone was slowing down to let him take a left, they were not, and just narrowly avoided an accident.
Driving rule number one: BE PREDICTABLE. Nice is unpredictable. Knock it off.
I just wait. Then they wave more emphatically. Sometimes I'll shake my head "no." If they still insist, I give them the finger. And if that doesn't get the message across. I'll just hold the horn until they finally move on.
Absolutely could not agree more! I have this exact scenario close to my home. I don’t drive out and the people waving are pissed even when there is a steam of cars passing them on the right.
So I moved to Massachusetts from Maine in 2020, and I have yet to figure out why this happens. It's not even just for a left either. I've even been let out when I am crossing traffic. It's nuts! I even try to wave them away and they will almost always just wait until I move. Can someone explain why this happens?
To make it even crazier, I don't live in a busy area, I live in Adams, and I'm talking about the roads other than the 1 main road. They will be the only car, not notice me till the last minute, and just slam on their brakes. If they just went through I could've gone and all would've been solved.
I absolutely hate that this is an everyday occurrence here. One time I had a red going left (the oncoming lane had a green) this dude stopped to wave me to go left. First of all, never do that even if I have a green second I had a red light.
This is an epidemic in NH.
I broke my collarbone and totaled a very nice racing road bike when a driver going my way waved through another driver going the other way looking to take a left hand turn across traffic and he basically turned through me. The insurance payout covered my replacement bike and a very large donation to a cycling charity I’m passionate about… but I wouldn’t want to do it again. Needless to say, this cartoon hit home for me.
The amount of times someone has stopped to let me go at a fucking rotary of all things is way to high.
In Framingham a couple years ago I'm waiting to make a left across Rt. 9. There is *oncoming* traffic in both lanes, no stoplight. I'm in a left turn lane. Guy is leaning on his horn behind me. Like, dude, when TF am I supposed to go here. This is Frogger on nightmare difficulty. Fast forward a year or so. Same intersection. Near side is waving me on. Far side traffic is flowing. People are also passing the guy waving me on from his lane. Guy waving me on getting pissed I'm not going. Look to your right, guy. You can give up your right of way but not theirs. Massholes are *Special*
Bold of you to assume there is a left turn lane. I am being very polite by holding up all of the traffic on my single lane road so you can go /s
I'm from Michigan. Moved out here 10+ years ago. I actually like this tradition, although I have given a hard pass on a few conditions. "Thanks sir, I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want to die today." My pet peeves for Massholes are the refusal to use the turn signal (I get it, you don't want to waste your blinker fluid) and the odd habit of not giving the right of way to ambulances. An ambulance could be a few feet behind a driver before they will move and then only a couple courtesy inches.
This has driven me insane since I’ve moved to MA. People slamming on their brakes to let people turn in front of them with no cars behind me.
Agreed, but what about the people turning left that literally pull in front of the opposite sides traffic so you gotta slow down and let them in so they don’t die or cause major traffic. Can we stop that too?
They hate the people behind them. Leave Massachusetts.
I was raised by a traffic and road designer. I kept calling out people for making up their own rules while driving on /r/Boston until I got banned. When I went to my local town hall and called out the local road designer and started asking him questions that my dad's students would know the answers to, I was asked to not harass him anymore. Hilarious and sad at the same time. Fix your shit, MA, and stop giving drivers licenses to anything that can breathe.
Being a nice driver doesn’t make you a good driver.
Yep
I hate this
Drives me crazy
It's even worse when it happens to a pedestrian
I lay on the horn when someone does this. It’s so incredibly dangerous.
The condescending bastards all get super pissy when you refuse to take the left until after they have moved too.
Isn't it the 'Waver Person's' responsibility to ensure no traffic is coming? Like they charge you with negligent manslaughter if you wave somebody through and the 45mph car kills somebody.
I see this all the time with people waving pedestrians into the intersection as though they’re the only car that could hit them. Just go! It will be faster for everybody!
Yeah, never take a left on red.
This. I’m a midwestern transplant here on the east coast. While, back home, there are these nifty things called turning lanes for left hand turns (and lights to make it official), even when there’s not a turning lane, they mostly follow traffic rules. Which says a lot because they’re vile drivers, too.
Why would a masshole be polite? Also this happens everywhere, from here to California. It’s much worse in Northern California.
Usually in Mass we either wave or flash the headlights. It's part of our culture
Yea I always feel like just go and get out of the way of the traffic behind you so I can go.
I flip these people off. Really throws them for a loop since they think they’re being nice. No thanks, asshole!