Driving and Car Etiquette

[567Kate]

It's not polite to wave another car ahead of you at an intersection (like a four way stop) when it's your turn to go. It just makes it confusing. Take your appropriate turn.

I admit that I'll do this if it's only me and another car, and the other car just barely stops. For me, it's like, "What are you doing?! Just go so you don't suddenly take off while I'm crossing the intersection." People like that make me nervous.  

Yeah, I let pushy people just go as well, rather than risk an accident taking my turn. I was referring to the action Shoo describes: waving someone ahead when it's really your turn because you think it's nice, but it's confusing for any other drivers or pedestrians who are trying to follow the traffic pattern.

Edited to fix a typo

[Lysistrata]

It's not polite to wave another car ahead of you at an intersection (like a four way stop) when it's your turn to go. It just makes it confusing. Take your appropriate turn.

I admit that I'll do this if it's only me and another car, and the other car just barely stops. For me, it's like, "What are you doing?! Just go so you don't suddenly take off while I'm crossing the intersection." People like that make me nervous.  

Yeah, I let pushy people just go as well, rather than risk an accident taking my turn. I was referring to the action Shoo describes: waving someone ahead when it's really your turn because you think it's nice, but it's confusing for any other drivers or pedestrians who are trying to follow the traffic pattern.

Edited to fix a typo

I hate this as well. Anymore, if I'm approaching a 4-way stop and see a car coming from my left or right, I slow way down (pretty much barely rolling along) about 50-100 feet before the stop sign facing me so that the other car(s) will get to the intersection first and we can avoid the hassle of waving. There's rarely anyone behind me when I do this...if there happens to be someone behind me, I do a normal stop and just have to hope that everyone knows the traffic rules, but I much prefer the slowdown method.

[HoneyBee42]

It's not polite to wave another car ahead of you at an intersection (like a four way stop) when it's your turn to go. It just makes it confusing. Take your appropriate turn.

This drives me crazy!  People think they're being nice by doing this, but all they're really doing is creating a dangerous and confusing situation.  Traffic rules exist for a reason!!

Yes--this has me snarling on my way to work many a time.  The street I live on meets a major N-S street with a 2-way stop (my street and the continuation of my street on the other side of the N-S street, N-S street traffic does not stop).  So, to go to work, I pull up to this intersection east-bound, indicating that I am going to be turning north-bound.  Then, someone at the stop sign west-bound (so facing me) who is either intending to go straight (or even more maddeningly, intending to turn north-bound so that they have the easy right, while I have a left turn that has to cross the south-bound traffic) will start waving or blinking their headlights at me to try to say I should go when it is *their* right of way because left-turn yields to all other traffic and *I* will decide when it's safe for me to cross south-bound traffic, thank you very much and part of that means that all others with right of way over me need to be out of the way, and that does mean you, "Ms. Go-ahead-take-my-turn".  I wish there were some way to politely wave them off.  I typically make a big show of shifting into park.  Makes me want to scream every time -- no, it's not "nice"; no, it's not "polite" ... just follow the rules of the road and we'll all get where we're going.

And please, please ... if you park your car in the street and there's alternate day parking ... move your car at the appointed time.  Especially when there's snow (and the plows will be coming through .. or they'll skip our block because the plow can't fit through the 1-car width space available when there's parked cars on both sides), but at any time .. constricting the traffic to a single lane for both directions of travel just makes everyone else miserable because you were too lazy to go out and move the car when you were supposed to.  

[Nurvingiel]

For your car: please do not purchase one of those obnoxious car alarms that just make noise. Get an engine immoblizer or something instead.

[Anyanka]

If I can`t give you a lift, I can`t give you a lift. Phoning me constantly will not make me any more available.

Phoning me at 2am to drive 100+ miles into a town I  know my way around means I will likely refuse.Phoning your DH to demand my DH gets me to comply will result in both of us laughing at you.

[Giggity]

For your car: please do not purchase one of those obnoxious car alarms that just make noise. Get an engine immoblizer or something instead.

My office's parking garage has a few hair-trigger car alarms. People, it is not 1984! NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION. Turn the things OFF already.

[Xandraea]

For your car: please do not purchase one of those obnoxious car alarms that just make noise. Get an engine immoblizer or something instead.

My office's parking garage has a few hair-trigger car alarms. People, it is not 1984! NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION. Turn the things OFF already.

I don't know about other places, but too many people seem to use their car alarm to find their car in a crowded parking lot, or worse, in a 5 story parking ramp.  (unless you're pretty close to your vehicle, the sound echoes throughout the ramp and it's very difficult to pinpoint the direction it's coming from).  I admit I have pushed the button on my remote after a bit of hunting, but only to make it beep as if I'm locking it, not to leave horn blaring while I continue the search.  The entire point of loud vehicle alarms has been destroyed by people who use them incorrectly. I pray I'm never in a situation where the panic button is because of PANIC and people ignore it because they assume someone has "misplaced" their car and is hunting for it.

A funny, related story: My father, 20 yrs or so ago, had a vehicle with an alarm which had two modes: One, it would alarm if the window were actually broken or the lock jimmied.  Two, it would alarm if the car were touched/moved.  He was at a party when friends of his went out and sat on the car and shook it around just to set off the alarm as a joke. (First time it was funny, 2nd and 3rd times not so much.  After that they got the hint.)  Another time, we took a family trip to bike a 30-mile trail.  He'd parked the car along the street in the small town and we'd gone a few blocks up to the start of the trail, when a large truck drove by, shaking the car enough that the alarm started blaring, lights flashing.  I've only seen my dad move that fast one other time.  He ran back down the blocks to his car, disabled that alarm mode and left it on the break-in mode.  Good thing this happened while we were still in town, and not 15 miles away on our bicycles!

[Pippen]

The driver of the car is responsible for your safety. Not your entertainment. Some people find constant chatter distracting.

Pointing out interesting landmarks or sights and telling them to look and comment on them may not be their highest priority. Poking them or grabbing them to force them to look may mean you end up getting dropped on the side of the road so you can have a extended opportunity to view it.

A rental car is hired under one persons name and that person is responsible for it. If you expect to drive it then hire it under your own name.

If you want to borrow someones car while they are away and they decline your request, please do not just take their keys and use it anyway.

Just because a friends vehicle has a towbar does not mean they are available to hire a trailer and help you shift, nor does it mean they are obligated to lend it to you.

If someone lends you their car please don't drive it like you stole it just because 'you wanted to see  what it could do.'

If you insist on your vehicles being used in a friends wedding despite them telling you that won't be required and they already have arrangements in place with a professional company, please ensure they are in good mechanical condition and that you do not arrive and hour late to pick up the bride because you had a flat tire and no spare.

[whatsanenigma]

From a pedestrian's point of view:

Drivers, please realize that we pedestrians watch your turn signals also.  Even if a road is otherwise deserted, please use your turn signal if you are going to turn onto the road I am trying to cross.  If I don't see your turn signal, I am going to assume you are going straight, and go ahead and cross, which will lead to you almost running me over when you turn instead.  And when this happens, please do not honk and yell out the window at me, thank you.

(There was an intersection notorious for that problem, on the campus where I went to college.)

Also, I know that some traffic light setups are just stupid and annoying.  I know that technically, you can drive across my right-of-way as a pedestrian, without doing anything illegal according to your light.  But please be patient with us, who have pushed the button and waited  for the walk signal,  and let us walk, given that this is the only legally safe time for us to do so.  I don't like those intersection setups any more than you do, but please don't take it out on me by honking and/or yelling, because it isn't my fault any more than it is yours.

(This problem happens with a set of intersections in my town but because it's a state highway, nobody seems to be able to do anything about it.)

[Barb3000]

I would like to add, if you live in a populated area and keep late hours, please set your remote locking thing to NOT blow the horn to confirm that your car is locked. It may be under the window of someone who is sleeping. You can set it to blow the horn, flash the lights, or neither. Check your owner's manual. I have mine set to Neither, I can hear the car locks clunk and that is good enough for me.

[cabbagegirl28]

I would like to add, if you live in a populated area and keep late hours, please set your remote locking thing to NOT blow the horn to confirm that your car is locked. It may be under the window of someone who is sleeping. You can set it to blow the horn, flash the lights, or neither. Check your owner's manual. I have mine set to Neither, I can hear the car locks clunk and that is good enough for me.

See, and for me, my hearing isn't the most amazing ever. I need to hear the honk to know that my car is locked. However, it's also a very quick and relatively quiet honk (more of a beep than anything), and I press it once. If my car's horn were loud, I would make an effort to change the options on my car lock.

[Barb3000]

I guarantee you, I have woken up from a quick "beep" from such a car. I am a light sleeper. Maybe you could set it for flashing lights?

[gadget--gal]

Rule of thumb: if you need to put your windshield wipers on, your lights should be on also.  It's actually the law in some judisdictions. 

(emphasis mine)

I'm moving away from etiquette a little but, in your area, do you have rain on bright sunny days, or does it always turn dark?

[Ryuugan80]

Drivers, if you know your passenger is wary about cars as it is, don't swerve your vehicle around or make screeching sounds 'jokingly.' Actually, just don't do it ever.

I'm already cringing at the very thought.

Also, if you have room to go around someone, don't tailgate them. It's just weird. If you're using them to keep you speed in check (especially around those police trap areas) that all well and good, but keep a better distance.

[RiverSong]

The heat/AC should be treated like the radio: it is the driver's to set at their discretion. Not to say that you can't ask to turn it up/down/on/off/open the windows, but it should be a discussion, not a demand.

If you are prone to car sickness, is it appropriate to let the driver know the reason behind the request to open the window ( being that if it is cooler outside the air will help to ward of the final step of said sickness)?