24 DON’T WAVE
24 DON’T WAVE
It is a habit to occasionally stop and let someone out of a bad place or let some one cross in front of you so they can get where they want to go. This is polite and helpful once in a while but you should know the legal and harmful side of doing this.
If you stop and wave a driver, who is making a left turn in front of you, through; you have just taken on the responsibility of making sure that he does not get hurt doing it. If he starts across in front of you and another vehicle comes by you on the right and hits him, he has just failed to yield the right of way and you have caused the crash. He can be charged and fined even though you waved him through.
The same rule applies when you stop and wave a driver out from a stop sign, allowing him to pull out in front of you. If he is struck by a vehicle that is going in either direction and that have the right-of-way, then he can be charged and you have caused the crash.
When you yield your right-of-way to any other driver to allow them to go ahead of you, it does not mean that they have the right-of-way over all the other vehicles. Those that can go by you and have the right-of-way where they are still have their right-of-way.
Sometimes, it is better to keep going through with your right-of-way and let the other driver that is at the stop sign wait for a better and safer opening to proceed in.
As a transport driver, it is very rare for me to wave someone through ahead of me because I can see around me and they cannot. I find that it is more helpful for them if I continue on and get out of their way so they can see to find their own place to cross or get out in traffic. If the opportunity arises that I can stop and let someone go in front of me, I stop the truck and do not make eye contact but look away; this lets the driver know that, even though he has a hole to go through, he is on his own and must do so at his own risk. I find that this method makes the other driver nervous enough to us extra caution and is safer because of it.
Sometimes, when I can help another driver cross in front of me, I will watch my mirrors and direct the driver when he can or should not go by holding my hand, palm out, to stop him and wave through when it is safe to go.
The best method for helping people stopped at stop signs, or those trying to get out into traffic, is to leave a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. This gives the driver that is trying to get out or across a safe opportunity to move and you, being the next vehicle, can help them by holding traffic back while still moving and can slow yourself if you see that the driver needs some extra time. In other words, by giving them a hole to merge into, you can control the safety of the situation because you are the next vehicle.
Bad driving conditions are here so drive safely.
Comments (2)
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This is so common in Moncton and dangerous, but people continue to let these left turners out who should be turning right and doubling back like the rest of the free world.
And I thought in New Brunswick if you let someone out and they get hit you are legally responsible for the accident. Any ideas?
I can just picture that 4 lane left and its scary to think that anyone would try it.
I havn't heard of any legal responsiblity for a crash caused by someone waving another driver through. My Dad, before he died, was hit just this way; he was making a left into a service station and the oncoming driver waved him through but there was a left turn lane there also and a car came up that lane and hit him. He told the police that he was waved through and the officer told him that that was only for the first lane and that he had failed to yield the right-of-way for the second lane.
I witnessed a woman trying to force a left turn after she lost the left turn arrow; she forced the first lane driver to stop but the second lane driver didn't see her and nailed her.
The laws are there to be obeyed by everybody but they are to be used with good old common sense and driver awareness.
Thanks for the comment; its a good one and is much appreciated.