Drivers and hand signals

[yourkeau 7,695]

6 minutes ago, yesterday said:

This is exactly why I do not think automated driving systems will work, with the car programmed to follow the rules, and therefore in these types of situation, everyone just stands still

 

For now, you're right. I've heard of automatic cars being confused at a simple Baustelle. 

 

But in the future there will be traffic controllers similar to the railway ones. The human operator will identify such situations and solve them by directing the cars to pass one by one. 

[Boggsdollocks 443]

Casual observational rambling: the amount and level of complexity of laws in a society is inversely proportional to the level of common sense of that society. 

[JG52 924]

1 hour ago, yourkeau said:

 

The nightmare for those who follow the rules:

 

According to the StVO, nobody is allowed to pass: the yellow car should give way to the red car, the red car should give way to the green car, and finally, the green car also cannot turn left until the yellow car passes. 

 

What do you do? 

 

Having been in the red car's situation many times, I will waive my god-given Rechts-vor-Links entitlement and let the yellow car proceed.  I don't recall ever being in such a hurry that a few seconds of delay to let another driver pass has resulted in horrible outcome.  I've only been driving personal, agricultural, commercial, and military tactical vehicles for over 55 years, so I might not have the extensive wisdom and experience of others.

 

In few cases, there were several yellow cars that I let pass and have yet to hear the Horn of Arrogance from a driver behind me.  Sometimes, the yellow car will signal the green car to turn, thereby eliminating the potential traffic jam.  At least twice in my sleepy little town, the yellow car has been a Polizei car.  My experience on the urban road is most drivers tend to be adults and make adult decisions with due regard to safety.

[LukeSkywalker 7,355]

Sometimes, cars are so incredibly slow in my street that I make gestures as a pedestrian to hurry up so that I can cross the street. 

[Boggsdollocks 443]

My initial thought when I first saw this thread was…

 

[skinnypuppy 75]

1 hour ago, Boggsdollocks said:

Casual observational rambling: the amount and level of complexity of laws in a society is inversely proportional to the level of common sense of that society. 

Isn't that why we have an abundance of overly complex laws, to relieve us of the burden of thinking for ourselves? Common sense...isn't.

[mike kelly 41]

What prompted me to start this thread:

 

Last week I was walking home at about 10 pm on a dark quite street. I crossed the street using a traffic island (NOT a zebra crossing) and as I was on the island I saw an oncoming car. This was the only car on a deserted street so I waited for it to pass by before crossing as I always do. Instead of driving past me as normaly happens the car stopped. So did I. Then the guy started waving his hand. I stood my ground as I was afraid that this guy might be a mugger who would start the car and try to run me over as I was crossing.The street was deserted and I couldn´t understand why he did not drive on. Eventually he did, hurling abuse at me as he passed. Unfortunately I didn´t get his reg as it was dark although I doubt the police would do anything in such a case.

[fraufruit 40,455]

41 minutes ago, mike kelly said:

I was afraid that this guy might be a mugger who would start the car and try to run me over as I was crossing.

 

That would never, ever occur to me. I probably wouldn't go out at all if I was that paranoid.

 

Unless you were in a really bad section of town, that is.

[mike kelly 41]

11 minutes ago, fraufruit said:

 

That would never, ever occur to me. I probably wouldn't go out at all if I was that paranoid.

 

Unless you were in a really bad section of town, that is.

 

well, we don´t all live in Schwabing.

[klingklang77 478]

27 minutes ago, mike kelly said:

 

well, we don´t all live in Schwabing.

 

That never would have occurred to me at all either. I don’t live in Schwabing and I grew up in NY. A student in my class actually asked a similar question as your concern: “Is it true in NY that if you fall on the ground and hurt yourself, no one will help you?” I said, yes, sometimes that seems like a distraction for someone else to mug me.

 

I would never think that someone waving me in NY would use that as a distraction. That’s something pretty genuine for NYers. When driving in NYC, I don’t often let people cross anyway unless it is a crosswalk and they have the signal to cross. Taxis are a completely different story… 

 

ETA: And if a driver is in a “bad” neighbourhood, they don’t stop. They just lock their doors and go. They would be more afraid of the pedestrians. I only learned this driving around certain areas of Brooklyn and the Bronx/Harlem/Washington Heights. You are too paranoid. 

[mike kelly 41]

The fact that the guy verbally abused me as he drove past proves that I was right. He clearly did not stop out of politeness. 

[JG52 924]

6 minutes ago, mike kelly said:

The fact that the guy verbally abused me as he drove past proves that I was right. He clearly did not stop out of politeness. 

 

Another possibility is he could have been pissed that he stopped, thereby wasting some time and effort, and you didn't appreciate that he stopped and illuminated the crossing for you with his headlights.

[mike kelly 41]

If he was pissed then he should not have been driving. Yet another reason for not walking out in front of his vehicle.

[JG52 924]

Pissed as in pissed off...upset...not pissed as in drunk.

[fraufruit 40,455]

1 hour ago, mike kelly said:

well, we don´t all live in Schwabing.

 

Those of who do also walk around in other areas/towns/cities. We don't spend our lives walking up and down our street.

[optimista 5,605]

1 hour ago, mike kelly said:

He clearly did not stop out of politeness. 

 

Maybe he did. Then was pissed off because you did not react the way he expected. And showed it. You ll never know. Just one of those unpleasant brushes with someone you will never see again. It happens. And increasingly so. Courtesy went out with the ark. Let it go.

 

 

[fraufruit 40,455]

6 hours ago, fraufruit said:

The car was at a complete stop, the driver was smiling and waving us to cross. There were no other cars anywhere. It would have been very rude of us not to accept his invitation. 

 

I refer back to this.

[Fietsrad 280]

7 hours ago, fraufruit said:

Of course it was a neighborhood street but, according to Fietsrad, we should have told the nice man to fuck off and explained ze rules to him.

[Fietsrad 280]

No, you should not have interfaced with him at all.

[Fietsrad 280]

6 hours ago, JG52 said:

 

Having been in the red car's situation many times, I will waive my god-given Rechts-vor-Links entitlement and let the yellow car proceed.  I don't recall ever being in such a hurry that a few seconds of delay to let another driver pass has resulted in horrible outcome.  I've only been driving personal, agricultural, commercial, and military tactical vehicles for over 55 years, so I might not have the extensive wisdom and experience of others.

 

In few cases, there were several yellow cars that I let pass and have yet to hear the Horn of Arrogance from a driver behind me.  Sometimes, the yellow car will signal the green car to turn, thereby eliminating the potential traffic jam.  At least twice in my sleepy little town, the yellow car has been a Polizei car.  My experience on the urban road is most drivers tend to be adults and make adult decisions with due regard to safety.

My thirty plus years driving have convinced me that many drivers are really stupid.

 

Thousands of people are killed in car wrecks in the Bundesrepublik alone each year.

Worldwide, a million or more deaths have been mentioned, obviously nobody knows exactly.