Um, YOU have the right of way, you know....

[Kogarashi]

Small one today. Most people were remarkably decent drivers today, especially where minor construction temporarily reduced a two-way road to one single lane.

I was waiting at the major intersection to turn onto my street. I'd missed the protected left, so I had just a solid green (meaning oncoming traffic also had a solid green). Cars were coming, so I stopped to wait for a gap before making my turn. One or two cars went through the intersection.

Then came one of those "carrying school children" minivans. The driver actually stopped at the green light for some reason I can't fathom. I didn't dare make my turn, because she didn't gesture to me or anything, so I didn't want to risk her realizing she had a green light as I'm halfway through my turn. Of course, the car behind me honks his displeasure. The lady still didn't go.

Finally I slowly made my turn, keeping a careful eye on her the whole time, just in case. She just sat there as I and the guy behind me both turned and her light turned red.

[LillFilly]

I hate those people, I really do! Because you don't want to risk going for fear they'll change their minds, and you hate being stuck behind them too!

[Hyndis]

Ugh, I get this all the time.

I'm trying to turn right from a side street onto a bigger street. No stop light. I have my blinker on and there is steady traffic going.

In order to turn I need to wait for a gap in the traffic as I do not right of way. This means I'm watching the cars so I can turn and accelerate into the gap.

I see a gap! Its coming up!

...but then the last car before the gap slows down for some utterly inexplicable reason, just staring at me the entire time. Just staring. Its weird and a little bit creepy. I can't go before him because I'm not ready for it, don't have right of way, and don't have the horsepower to make it.

I now can't go behind him either because he slowed down, meaning there is no more gap to turn right in to.

This means I need to wait longer, for another gap to appear in the traffic to make my turn.

[wolfie]

Ugh, I get this all the time.

I'm trying to turn right from a side street onto a bigger street. No stop light. I have my blinker on and there is steady traffic going.

In order to turn I need to wait for a gap in the traffic as I do not right of way. This means I'm watching the cars so I can turn and accelerate into the gap.

I see a gap! Its coming up!

...but then the last car before the gap slows down for some utterly inexplicable reason, just staring at me the entire time. Just staring. Its weird and a little bit creepy. I can't go before him because I'm not ready for it, don't have right of way, and don't have the horsepower to make it.

I now can't go behind him either because he slowed down, meaning there is no more gap to turn right in to.

This means I need to wait longer, for another gap to appear in the traffic to make my turn.

Actually, there's an easy-to-understand reason. You wanted to turn, he was able to keep you from turning, therefore he's THE MAN.

[Kogarashi]

Actually, there's an easy-to-understand reason. You wanted to turn, he was able to keep you from turning, therefore he's THE MAN.

Either that, or it's a horribly misguided attempt to let you go first. The problem is that the driver in question A) doesn't bother to look behind him first to see if there's a better gap already, and B) doesn't start slowing until it's too late for you to actually react, then stares at you wondering why you didn't take that oh-so-generous space he left you at the last second.

This is why generally, when I'm on the main drag with no stop signs and see a car waiting on a side road to turn, I keep my right of way. Better to not mess up any attempt to turn that they might be waiting for than to try to be generous only to fail miserably.

[Kogarashi]

We had another one today!

Hubby and I were headed out with the girls for some errands this morning. We're coming down a side street that meets in a T-intersection with a more major street (so we're on the leg of the T). We have a red light, so we stop, signalling that we plan to turn right when we can, and wait for cross traffic to clear.

A car coming from our left up the main road decided that, rather than continuing through her green light where she had the right of way, she was going to slow down and stop at the green. She didn't gesture to us, just slowed to a stop at the green light. Confused, we hesitated a bit, but when she didn't go, we made our turn.

And it wasn't that she was turning or anything. When I looked behind us after we'd turned onto the main road, I saw her slowly proceeding through the green and following us up the road.