The Overly Courteous Driver

Kinja'd!!! by "Just wear your damn mask..." (jimal)
Published 01/23/2017 at 20:01

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STARS: 2


So I ran out to do some errands this afternoon. As I’m approaching my driveway on my way home, I slow and signal because I need to turn left and there is a car coming from the other direction. The car approaches... then stops to let me turn left in front of it. There was no traffic, or any reason to let me cut in front of it, but there the driver was, stopped in the road, trying to be courteous. I still don’t quite get it.


Replies (13)

Kinja'd!!! "WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
01/23/2017 at 20:05, STARS: 10

This stuff actually really annoys me - it creates a hazard and slows traffic. You probably sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what they’re doing, right? I bet you would have gotten into your driveway quicker if they hadn’t stopped.

Kinja'd!!! "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/23/2017 at 20:09, STARS: 1

Drives me crazy. Wastes time, and shows that the other driver doesn’t understand the situation well enough to understand slowing down decreases efficiency for everyone involved.

And you can’t even be mad because they’re trying to be courteous

Kinja'd!!! "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
01/23/2017 at 20:11, STARS: 4

Overly courteous drivers can be extremely dangerous.

Kinja'd!!! "Busslayer" (Busslayer)
01/23/2017 at 20:16, STARS: 1

Courtesy should expressed by following the rules of the road predictably.

Kinja'd!!! "TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
01/23/2017 at 20:22, STARS: 0

That happens all the time here in Louisiana. Drives me nuts.

Kinja'd!!! "Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
01/23/2017 at 20:36, STARS: 0

What everyone else said. It especially causes problems with rotation at four way intersections. And when I’m on my bike, people try to let me go first. They’re always shocked when I refuse by pointing to the stop sign and then myself.

Kinja'd!!! "Just wear your damn mask..." (jimal)
01/23/2017 at 20:58, STARS: 1

Yes and exactly. It made no sense.

Kinja'd!!! "OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
01/23/2017 at 21:08, STARS: 0

its nice to be nice but its also nice to not cause an accident because your being nice. be nice just not too nice because thats not nice

Kinja'd!!! "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
01/23/2017 at 22:27, STARS: 1

You’re right that people do it a lot when you’re on a bike. And it creates awkwardness for the biker.

Kinja'd!!! "Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
01/23/2017 at 22:34, STARS: 0

I get why they do it around here. It’s because they expect the cyclist to coast through the intersection, and they’re almost always right. Grrrrrr. I hate cyclists.

Kinja'd!!! "ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
01/25/2017 at 16:18, STARS: 1

What drives me crazy is when I’m waiting at a stop sign of a cross street on my bike (as I should), and a car on one direction stops unnecessarily for me. But when the traffic in the opposite direction doesn’t also stop, and I refuse to ride out into it, the stopped person gets angry at me!

Excess courteousy AND dumbass assholeness in one!

Kinja'd!!! "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
01/25/2017 at 17:22, STARS: 0

There is a place this happens for me quite a bit and I’m alsways trying to just waive the person on. I’m a big boy, I’ll find my spot to get through.

Kinja'd!!! "ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
01/26/2017 at 08:05, STARS: 0

I’m a big boy, I’ll find my spot to get through.

Exactly! I’m on a bike, but I need to follow the rules of the road just like everyone else. Trying to give me special treatment just screws things up for everyone.

Often in the situation I described, when the person waiting gets exasperated that I’m not about to dart my bike across the other lane of 40 mph traffic, they drive off in a huff. But the problem is a queue of cars has formed behind them that otherwise would have already driven by. Many times the other lane, which hasn’t unnecessarily stopped, has an opening at this point. But because of the long line of stopped cars that are now finally moving, I’m still stuck at the stop sign. So the idiot that tried to be overly courteous actually screwed me over and made me wait at the intersection even longer than I otherwise would have, AND inconvenienced everyone backed up behind them.

I guess you just can’t fix stupid.