My wife gets upset with me for not waving.
I don’t get it. I mean… thanks?.. I guess?
Why do you care whether I wave my hand at you or not?
Myself, by policy, I allow people to get into my lane when I can see them signalling and it would not be dangerous for me to slow down to let them in. If there are several people signalling, my policy is to let one of them, and only one of them, in.
Sometimes they wave, sometimes they don’t. I don’t give a damn, and don’t see why I would or should. I didn’t do it out of a feeling of community or something. I did it because it’s about as important that they get where they’re going as it is that I get where I’m going, and that the people behind me get where they’re going. It’s not important that they understand that I’m “doing them a favor.” We’re never going to interact again. It’s over and done.
Another relevant note: Sometimes people may not know you’re letting them in. They may think they just had to force their way in to your lane, despite your best efforts to prevent them from doing so. It’s not so easy to see who’s accelerating and decelerating (and why) in such situations.