Communicating with other drivers

[webny99]

What are some scenarios in which you attempt to communicate with other drivers? I don't mean through your horn, blinker, or four way flashers, I mean physical communication like faces, waves, and other hand motions.

Also, do you ever notice other drivers trying to communicate with you, and under what circumstances? Do you find it helpful or harmful, necessary or unnecessary?

Have you ever seen physical communication between drivers, such as holding up your hand to signal "stop", prevent - or cause! - an accident?

[hotdogPi]

Don't forget about flipping the bird.

[webny99]

Don't forget about flipping the bird.

Yeah, that wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list.
Examples are fine too, but I'm mostly looking for applications, and whether said communication was successful and/or had wider-reaching implications.

[abefroman329]

Flashing my high-beams as a way of saying "go ahead"  to other drivers works really well. I also use the corresponding turn signal to indicate I'm stopped waiting to take a parking space that's about to open up on the left or right side of the road, so don't stop behind me, just go around me, and whatever you do, don't get up on my ass so I can't back into the space. That one is less successful.

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

[kphoger]

Downward hand-waving when attempting to slow drivers down due to an immediate hazard, usually in conjunction with four-way flashers and/or flashing headlights.

I once had to yell out the window of our car to a truck driver on I-44 in the middle of Saint Louis.  He was driving a double-trailer for ODFL, and the rollup door on the rear trailer either never got closed or else had opened up while he was driving.  At the tail end of the trailer, there were several empty wooden pallets standing on end behind his load, and they were falling out the back of the trailer one by one onto the highway.  In the middle of urban freeway traffic.  Right in front of me.  As a pallet would hit pavement, it would start skittling back and forth at 60 mph, first left, then right, until it came to a stop somewhere on the highway.  As much as I thoroughly enjoyed the game of dodge-pallet, I managed to catch up to the driver, motioned for him to roll down his window, and shouted across the lane, YOU'RE LOSING PALLETS!  Oh my, you should have seen his face darken when he finally understood what I was saying.  (He immediately exited the highway.)

[renegade]

Someone motioned me out into traffic from a driveway near a busy intersection.  I got broadsided.  I learned a valuable lesson that day.

[kphoger]

I forgot the most common one for me.  I attempt to tell the driver whenever I see they have a brake light burnt out or a low tire.  If I can't get up alongside them at a light or whatever, then I'll often keep following them out of my way for a while to see if I can.  At least half the time, the driver hasn't been aware of a burnt-out brake light, and almost nobody has been aware of a low tire.

Someone motioned me out into traffic from a driveway near a busy intersection.  I got broadsided.  I learned a valuable lesson that day.

I stopped trusting the wave-out after reading someone on this forum (you?) talk about that.  If I can't see, then I ain't going!  Also, I almost never wave anyone out anymore, except into my own lane.

[Brandon]

I forgot the most common one for me.  I attempt to tell the driver whenever I see they have a brake light burnt out or a low tire.  If I can't get up alongside them at a light or whatever, then I'll often keep following them out of my way for a while to see if I can.  At least half the time, the driver hasn't been aware of a burnt-out brake light, and almost nobody has been aware of a low tire.

Someone motioned me out into traffic from a driveway near a busy intersection.  I got broadsided.  I learned a valuable lesson that day.

I stopped trusting the wave-out after reading someone on this forum (you?) talk about that.  If I can't see, then I ain't going!  Also, I almost never wave anyone out anymore, except into my own lane.

Exactly.  I hit someone who was waved out on Western Avenue in Chicago.  I was in the left turn lane, slowing for a red signal, when all of the sudden a vehicle pulled out from in front of two cars.  Wound up tearing part of her bumper off - no airbag deployments though.  The officers (there were two) looked at it and asked for our sides of the story.  I told them mine, then she, hers.  She mentioned being waved out by the two cars and going.  The officer asking her then said, "lady, you know you're supposed to look first?"

[abefroman329]

I forgot the most common one for me.  I attempt to tell the driver whenever I see they have a brake light burnt out or a low tire.  If I can't get up alongside them at a light or whatever, then I'll often keep following them out of my way for a while to see if I can.  At least half the time, the driver hasn't been aware of a burnt-out brake light, and almost nobody has been aware of a low tire.

Someone motioned me out into traffic from a driveway near a busy intersection.  I got broadsided.  I learned a valuable lesson that day.

I stopped trusting the wave-out after reading someone on this forum (you?) talk about that.  If I can't see, then I ain't going!  Also, I almost never wave anyone out anymore, except into my own lane.

Exactly.  I hit someone who was waved out on Western Avenue in Chicago.  I was in the left turn lane, slowing for a red signal, when all of the sudden a vehicle pulled out from in front of two cars.  Wound up tearing part of her bumper off - no airbag deployments though.  The officers (there were two) looked at it and asked for our sides of the story.  I told them mine, then she, hers.  She mentioned being waved out by the two cars and going.  The officer asking her then said, "lady, you know you're supposed to look first?"

I was hit by someone doing the exact same thing you were doing. My excuse is that I was 16 or 17 at the time.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

This means "thanks for waiting for me."

[1995hoo]

I try to use my headlights to communicate at night, especially with truckers to indicate when it's clear to get back over or the like. I've observed over the years that they'll momentarily dim their lights to tell the trucker ahead that there's room to move over, so I try to do the same. Doesn't always work with other car drivers, but truckers know what it means and usually hit their flashers to acknowledge.

[abefroman329]

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

This means "thanks for waiting for me."

You mean "thanks in advance" ? Because this would happen as soon as we both approached the one-lane section.

[kphoger]

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

This means "thanks for waiting for me."

You mean "thanks in advance" ? Because this would happen as soon as we both approached the one-lane section.

Flashing your lights is not universally understood as "you go first."
There are places in the world where it means "I'm going first."

[skluth]

People used to turn their lights off then on at night if you noticed a speed trap on the other side of the highway to warn oncoming cars. Don't see that anymore.

[abefroman329]

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

This means "thanks for waiting for me."

You mean "thanks in advance" ? Because this would happen as soon as we both approached the one-lane section.

Flashing your lights is not universally understood as "you go first."
There are places in the world where it means "I'm going first."

Thanks, this is good to know for the next time I drive in England.

[DrSmith]

In Honduras, I noticed there is a lot of road communication of flashing lights, honking, etc. (I wasn't driving though, just a passenger)

One that I did figure out, was a car coming at you in your lane flashing their high beams meant to get as far to the right as you can because I am passing someone on my side of the road and we are making this 2-lane road into a 3-lane road all at high speed.

[kphoger]

One scenario I ran into in England that I still can't figure out is when I was driving on a two-lane road, my side of the road was blocked by parked cars, and a car coming from the opposite direction would flash their high beams at me.

This means "thanks for waiting for me."

You mean "thanks in advance" ? Because this would happen as soon as we both approached the one-lane section.

Flashing your lights is not universally understood as "you go first."
There are places in the world where it means "I'm going first."

Thanks, this is good to know for the next time I drive in England.

I didn't mean to say that's necessarily what it means in England.  I just meant there are places where it means that.  England may or may not be one of those places, I don't know.

[webny99]

What about four-way stops?
Drivers around here tend to wave you on at four way stops; if you both stop at once it's much more likely you'll get waved on then cut off.

[Tonytone]

People used to turn their lights off then on at night if you noticed a speed trap on the other side of the highway to warn oncoming cars. Don't see that anymore.

I still do it, 95% Of people think you are just telling them their lights are off.

[abefroman329]

What about four-way stops?
Drivers around here tend to wave you on at four way stops; if you both stop at once it's much more likely you'll get waved on then cut off.

Here it's more of a "the best defense is a good offense"  approach. Further complicating matters with urban four-way stops is the scenario where it may be your turn, but you can't go because a pedestrian is crossing in front of you.

Oh, and then there are the two-way stops where people assume it's a four-way stop and just drive in front of traffic that doesn't actually have to stop. I would T-bone so many idiots if I could.

[kphoger]

What about four-way stops?
Drivers around here tend to wave you on at four way stops; if you both stop at once it's much more likely you'll get waved on then cut off.

If it's rightfully my turn to go, then I just go.  I don't wait to be waved on.

If it's someone else's turn to go, then I stop and just glare at them till they figure it out.

If two or three other drivers are all trying to figure out whose turn it is to go when I pull up (probably for the last 2 minutes), then I just go and let them keep on figuring out whose turn it is.  Ain't nobody go time fo dat!

So basically, I don't wave people ahead at four-way stops.  Also, four-way stops are of the devil.

[webny99]

If it's someone else's turn to go, then I stop and just glare at them till they figure it out.

Unless... they wave you on. What then?

So basically, I don't wave people ahead at four-way stops.  Also, four-way stops are of the devil.

Impressive progression! 

I completely agree with that last bit - I'll take a roundabout way ahead of a four way stop in almost any circumstance. Four way stops are especially annoying at night and low-volume times of day; if one road or the other can't be given full priority, at least find some way not to make everyone on both roads waste their time stopping!

[kphoger]

If it's someone else's turn to go, then I stop and just glare at them till they figure it out.

Unless... they wave you on. What then?

OK, in that case I'll usually go.  Honestly, though, most people don't wave me on.  They just sit there.

The same goes for uncontrolled intersections.  If I'm approaching one at about the same time as another driver, and I'm on the right, then I'm going–even if I'm on the minor street.  And if the other car is on the right, then I stop and wait for them to go–even if I'm on the major street.  This messes with most drivers' minds, but it's the way it should be done.  Quite common for me, as my house is between two uncontrolled intersections.

[Super Mateo]

Generally, if I flash the headlights off then on again quickly, That means I see you and whatever you're trying to do, I'm allowing you to.  This most often applies to trucks with their blinker on wanting to get over to my lane when I am already in the lane.  If you get the high beams, it means you've done something stupid and/or illegal, and I don't care one iota about helping you out with anything.

And I agree about four way stops.  If it's slow enough, then a two way stop should be fine so that half or more of the traffic doesn't need to stop; if it's a busy one, then there needs to be a traffic light.

[webny99]

The same goes for uncontrolled intersections.  If I'm approaching one at about the same time as another driver, and I'm on the right, then I'm going–even if I'm on the minor street.  And if the other car is on the right, then I stop and wait for them to go–even if I'm on the major street.  This messes with most drivers' minds, but it's the way it should be done.  Quite common for me, as my house is between two uncontrolled intersections.

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by "uncontrolled". I don't think I've ever seen an intersection with no form of control at all. If there's not a stop sign, there's always at least a yield sign on one of the approaches.