Unwritten road rules

[bookbard]

I thought this was a good article about unwritten road rules in Australia and wondered if it's the same everywhere?

 

https://www.youi.com.au/you-connect/articles-and-guides/australias-unofficial-road-rules

[Rosie_0801]

The frequency table is weird. There are roads when one acknowledges oncoming traffic and that isn't most roads.

[SHP]

Gratitude is expressed frequently, it is so nice when they tell me I am number one! People really live up to the midwest nice here.

As a pedestrian walking in the urban core and obeying all signals I do find that about a third of drivers give salutation with one finger, another third don't seem to see me, even when making eye contact, and the last third seem to view running pedestrians over as a sport. We don't have deer in the city and they have to put food on the table somehow. 

Sadly, even with parallel parking everywhere many drivers simply have no clue what it is or how it works. People are resourceful and when they cannot figure that out they turn to the time honored tradition of just parking in the middle turn lane. This takes less skill AND when you return to your car you get to see all the buses that are on the route, they will even stay still so you can get a good look at the number, and you are given the opportunity to contribute to the cities general revenue fund. So many advantages.

Ahh the zipper merge. This would be great, but I do not wish to die. Did you know that in America if you follow this it can cause other drivers to become enraged? And that the enraged are allowed to carry guns? 

[Ausmumof3]

13 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

The frequency table is weird. There are roads when one acknowledges oncoming traffic and that isn't most roads.

Yeah, that’s a very rural thing and even in our semi rural space it’s rare now. It was much more common growing up. The others are all true.

[klmama]

The same is true in the US. After living in the city for years, I had completely forgotten about the one finger wave on rural roads, and my brother had to tell me I was being rude. 

[bookbard]

1 hour ago, klmama said:

The same is true in the US. After living in the city for years, I had completely forgotten about the one finger wave on rural roads, and my brother had to tell me I was being rude. 

Yeah the one finger thing is definitely a rural thing. The next step after that is what I occasionally see around here, drivers will just stop in the middle of the road, roll their windows down and talk to each other for however long. 

[Rosie_0801]

34 minutes ago, bookbard said:

Yeah the one finger thing is definitely a rural thing. The next step after that is what I occasionally see around here, drivers will just stop in the middle of the road, roll their windows down and talk to each other for however long. 

The ute drivers do that in the middle of our intersection. 😆

Sometimes they have me wondering if I'm the a*** for interrupting. What would Reddit say? 😂

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, bookbard said:

Yeah the one finger thing is definitely a rural thing. The next step after that is what I occasionally see around here, drivers will just stop in the middle of the road, roll their windows down and talk to each other for however long. 

That happens a lot in our neighborhood. When another vehicle comes along the people in cars blocking the whole street usually move on within a few seconds. Usually if it's a person in a car talking to a walker the other vehicle will just go around. Our neighborhood is quiet enough that's not usually a problem. I don't mind unless I'm in a huge hurry (which is rare). It's nice to see people talking to each other.

The one finger wave -- I don't see that much anymore, but it was definitely a thing when I was a kid. There was even a very localized version of waving with an open hand and fingers splayed, with the tips of the fingers very slightly bent. My BF dubbed it "the [name of our high school] wave."  Most people still wave, or give some acknowledgement of thanks, for letting them out into heavy traffic or slowing so they can merge in heavy traffic, etc.

[JustEm]

In our neighborhood we acknowledge each other as we drive by, pedestrians too. It isn't a one finger wave though. Generally, four fingers are lifted off the steering wheel. 

I wish people did the zipper merge method here. It is a chaotic free for all when merging is required. 

We're in a college town, yielding to pedestrians would cause way too much traffic. And the pedestrians get tickets for jaywalking. 

[HomeAgain]

We have a custom here where the main traffic yields to the side street traffic, pausing to allow for turns onto the main road in either direction.

It's weird and uncomfortable and goes against everything I've been taught.  And at the same time I see its purpose here in this retirement-aged community full of NIMBYs and resistant to any change, so traffic patterns that worked 60 years ago cannot be adapted to modern needs without an uproar.  Instead, people have adapted to the higher pace of traffic by adding in a custom that puts everyone at risk.

[Laura Corin]

The gratitude wave is standard in Scotland,  as is waiting for people who are parking. Zip merging is not widely practised. Pedestrians have automatic rights to cross except on motorways and fenced-off roads. Jay walking is not an offence.

Edited April 27 by Laura Corin

[JustEm]

4 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

The gratitude wave is standard in Scotland,  as is waiting for people who are parking. Zip merging is not widely practised. Pedestrians have automatic rights to cross except on motorways and fenced-off roads. Jay walking is not an offence.

Jaywalking certainly isn't anywhere else I've ever been. But in our college town on the main roads, if it wasn't enforced then traffic would be bad and students would get hit because they rush around corners, don't look, and dash across the street.usually it is only enforced the first two weeks of classes every year. By then students learn not to do it because they can't afford the fines

[athena1277]

I don’t think you will ever see the zipper merge in the US.  Everyone gets into the one through lane and then gets angry at the jerk who flys by in the lane that’s ending and then expects to be let in, essentially cutting in line.  While most people understand that a zipper merge would be more effective, there’s no easy way to make people change the way they’ve always done things.

[wintermom]

In my experiencer driving in many different provinces across Canada, I'd say that for the most part our practices are very similar to those in the article. Some places are more generous to pedestrians than others, and there seems to be a 'local custom' in play that both drivers and pedestrians follow. For example, in Ontario, pedestrians don't typically wait for cars to stop for them at intersections without lights or stop signs. They let the cars go by, then they cross. If a car does actually stop, it's almost an annoyance to the pedestrian as it wastes time. However, in Alberta cars do stop when pedestrians are waiting at a corner, and if the car doesn't stop the pedestrian looks very surprised. I grew up in Alberta, but have lived a long time in Ontario, and made that big oopsie when driving back in Alberta. I felt pretty bad, as I knew I'd goofed by not stopping for the pedestrian. 

We also have the one finger wave between cyclists on cycling trails, and if you don't wave you seem pretty rude.

[maize]

8 hours ago, bookbard said:

Yeah the one finger thing is definitely a rural thing. The next step after that is what I occasionally see around here, drivers will just stop in the middle of the road, roll their windows down and talk to each other for however long. 

I've seen the index finger salutation in rural Denmark too. Wonder how much of the world it extends to? 

[SKL]

I don't recall ever seeing the "one finger wave," but we do the rest of those here.  At least I do.  😛

[prairiewindmomma]

This area zipper merges well. The finger wave is usually 3 fingers. 
 

Google “Portlandia, you go sketch”. This is my daily life. The “you go first” at any four way stop marked by stop signs dilemma is so real. No one follows the driver guide book. Last week I had to do the vanna arm wave, and the roll down the window and traffic controller wave to get someone to just freaking turn on their turn.

[JustEm]

3 hours ago, athena1277 said:

I don’t think you will ever see the zipper merge in the US.  Everyone gets into the one through lane and then gets angry at the jerk who flys by in the lane that’s ending and then expects to be let in, essentially cutting in line.  While most people understand that a zipper merge would be more effective, there’s no easy way to make people change the way they’ve always done things.

This behavior saves me so much time every day on I95 in a construction area. I am the person staying in the ending lane until the last minute. It has been an issue since this construction started 8 months ago. In the beginning the backed up lane would be backed for 2 miles. After 8 months daily commuters have basically been forced to utilize the zipper technique.

[Pawz4me]

The US needs a lot more public education on zipper merging. It doesn't seem fair to blame people for not doing something they haven't been taught to do (including the "why" of it). This board was the first place I ever heard of it.

[Rosie_0801]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

The US needs a lot more public education on zipper merging. It doesn't seem fair to blame people for not doing something they haven't been taught to do (including the "why" of it). This board was the first place I ever heard of it.

I don't think I was taught to zipper merge. I think people invent it for themselves whenever it becomes the most practical way to manage a situation where everyone recognises that everyone else also has somewhere to be. 

[J-rap]

Our state has been doing public announcements, newspaper articles, etc. on the zipper merge.  It was very educational for me...  I really didn't know anything about it before!

[klmama]

I'd love public service announcements on basic driving rules: who goes first at a 4-way stop, which lane to be in at a roundabout, and how/why to stay in your own lane when multiple lanes turn left.  

[Laura Corin]

21 minutes ago, klmama said:

I'd love public service announcements on basic driving rules: who goes first at a 4-way stop, which lane to be in at a roundabout, and how/why to stay in your own lane when multiple lanes turn left.  

I took the California driving test (thirty years ago) having previously taken the UK one. The California road test was an order of magnitude easier, and I think the UK one did a better job of really inculcating safe driving habits. 

For reference,  my Texan husband - extremely experienced driver - failed the UK driving test, and my American colleague, who has a US licence, failed the UK test five times before finally passing. 

Edited April 28 by Laura Corin

[klmama]

Everyone here used to know this stuff, but when Covid hit the road testing for licenses stopped for a couple years. They just took the word of the driver's ed instructor that a student had passed the written exam without requiring a road test, too.  It has dramatically affected how well the young people drive.  And roundabouts are still new enough here that some people don't know what to do.

[bookbard]

1 hour ago, klmama said:

Everyone here used to know this stuff, but when Covid hit the road testing for licenses stopped for a couple years. They just took the word of the driver's ed instructor that a student had passed the written exam without requiring a road test, too.  It has dramatically affected how well the young people drive.  And roundabouts are still new enough here that some people don't know what to do.

I'm flabbergasted. I cannot believe they'd let people drive around on the road without testing them!

[Rosie_0801]

For sure! My kid has over 130 hours and I still wouldn't give her a licence!

[Drama Llama]

On 4/27/2024 at 1:18 PM, maize said:

I've seen the index finger salutation in rural Denmark too. Wonder how much of the world it extends to? 

It does not extend to me here in the big city.  When we wave one finger at drivers it’s a different finger with a different meaning.

 

[wintermom]

On 4/27/2024 at 1:18 PM, maize said:

I've seen the index finger salutation in rural Denmark too. Wonder how much of the world it extends to? 

I've seen it in rural Norway.