I wave but only if it was a genuine courtesy. The flip side is that I don’t really like it when people go against the right of way rules to let me in. It can lead to confusion and fender benders.
I would do a “thank you wave” when I cross the street and people stop to let me do that
Always.
I wonder if it’s a cultural lthing. Waving is de rigeur hereabouts.
Yes. In L.A. I noticed people waving thank-you all the time. When I moved up here, it seemed less common. But I’ve noticed in the last year or so, more people waving thank-you. I don’t know if something has changed, or whether my first few years here I just happened to be behind people who didn’t wave. Of course I’d wave whenever someone let me in.
In California, where I could legally ride between lanes on my motorcycle, I really appreciated it when drivers would move over to give me more room. Not that I needed it (there’s usually plenty of room for lane-splitting), but it was a nice gesture and it let me know that they weren’t just Left-Seat Passengers. They always got waves. Often the person to the right would move over. I’d wave with my right hand so that they knew I was waving to them and not the person on the left who didn’t move over. I could afford to coast for one second when I took my hand off the throttle, to acknowledge them. I noticed Harley drivers waved less frequently when someone obviously moved aside to give them more room. I also noticed toward the end of my time there that sportbike riders began to wave less frequently. (I ride a sportbike.) But more riders waved than didn’t.
No. The “thank you wave” could be misinterpreted as a “No, you go ahead” wave, which could have disastrous results.
No. Because I’m afraid of misinterpretation, either of the kind above or creating offense. I never learned traffic hand signals.
I usually do. Sometimes in heavy freeway traffic, I don’t. But if we’re slowly winding down a parking structure after an event and someone lets me in instead of having to wait eons for the rest of the traffic to move, then, yeah, I’ll definitely wave.
You wave after you make your maneuver, not before.
It’s still practiced around here, although on a somewhat limited basis.
Generally, if you’re on a rural, two lane road in a pickup truck, you get / give the farmer’s wave. A lot of folks in the same setting will give the wave to passing motorcyclists as well, although the person on the bike isn’t expected to wave back unless they’re a passenger.
In Arizona everyone does it as far as I can tell. There’s a particularly bad merging point that was on the way to my old place of work and every day people would have to battle to make it onto the main highway (which was also congested). I made a rule for myself; I’d let one person through each time I had to drive through that point. Always got a wave.
I always wave when someone let’s me through.
I always do whenever a driver is being courteous. And everyone does it in my region. However, a guy once responded by sticking out his tongue. I could have shot him.
Always, and I get annoyed when people don’t give a wave when I let them merge or pass through ahead of me.
They dealt with this in an episode of “Seinfeld.” Season Three’s “The Good Samaritan” according to my Googling. The same episode with the idea of saying “You’re SOOO good lookin’” when somebody sneezes.
Absolutely, and I receive a thank-you wave when I let someone go in front of me. And I’m always surprised at how mannerly drivers are around here even in the 4 p.m. rush hour. When the traffic light goes out, you’d expect a game of bumper cars, but everyone waits their turn and if not sure, looks to the other driver for a go-ahead wave. (is that on the right or the left?..) oh, I live in the northeast, but it’s not a big city, and I only drive on the regular roads, not the highway.
On the contrary, the “thank you” and the “no, you go ahead” are two entirely different hand motions.
I find the “thank you” wave to be a great way to indicate that I saw that the other driver was letting me go ahead, and to indicate that I received the message. That it’s also seen as courteous is icing on the cake.
Always. I figure it’s how I’ve reached the age of 43 without getting run over.
I do it and see it done 50% of the time here in and around Pittsburgh. I’ve seen it very sparingly in LA.
I’ve gotten used to the Mexican thank-you wave (serious, non-ironic). I now have to caution myself when I’m at home, because it’s what I would call a pretty insulting gesture in the States.
Also, I think I’m the only person in this area who actually lets people merge into traffic.
I’m a walker. When a car stops to let me cross, I always give a thank you.
Hell yes, I do, and it chaps my ass whenever I let someone in and they don’t acknowledge the favor, and act as if it was my duty to let them merge into the traffic flow.
Also: I get similarly irritated when I hold the door for someone and they don’t say “thank you”.