Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Vent – Why is it so hard for people to understand uncontrolled intersections?
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May 1, 2010 at 1:33 am #594681
shihtzuParticipantThis is my biggest pet peeve!
If two people get there at the same time, the person on the right has the right-of-way. If the person on the left was there waaaaay before the person on the right, they get to go. Geez.
May 1, 2010 at 5:58 am #693668
FlyonthewallMemberWashington State has some of the worst drivers ever!!! I think the DOT does a piss-poor job of training drivers here – they would be run off the road in any other State.
May 1, 2010 at 8:37 am #693669
HMC RichParticipantNo kidding. When I drive or am a passenger heading through Oregon, California, or Arizona, I have seen many bad drivers from our state.
May 1, 2010 at 2:10 pm #693670
SmittyParticipantIt’s amazing to me that there aren’t more accidents the way some people drive. People driving through uncontrolled intersections often don’t even slow down or look to see if a car is coming from the right/left. They just assume that the car driving the other direction is going to slow down – I often find myself hoping that the idiots run into each other.
May 1, 2010 at 2:52 pm #693671
yieldtotherightMemberTHANK YOU for your post. This drives me absolutely crazy. My neighborhood is loaded with uncontrolled intersections and we probably average a little more than an accident there a year. Cars just drive through without even slowing. Its interesting to hear the conversation between drivers (those that are not injured that is)….”I was on the wider road,” “I was there first,” “this road is closer to the arterial,”north-south has the right of way.” Simply put…if there are no signs at the intersection…”YIELD TO THE RIGHT.” So, if you see some crazed man at your left at an intersection yelling at you, pointing to his right arm that he is holding up, that’s me trying to get you to understand you have the right-of-way!! And just to get this off my chest too…..If you are jaywalking, no, I am not trying to hit you, but I’m probably not going to stop for you. The laws are there for a reason. I have seen too many pedestrian accidents due to people stopping for jaywalkers. There is usually a corner close enough for you to walk to!!!
May 1, 2010 at 2:56 pm #693672
yieldtotherightMemberOh, and as far as proper training, isn’t that like the first thing you learn in Driver’s Ed…Yield to the right! People just choose not to think about it when they drive. Driving is a cooperative endeavor. Sorry for the rant, but this is the thing that gets me…..I even joined the blog just to respond
May 1, 2010 at 3:07 pm #693673
austinMember“I often find myself hoping that the idiots run into each other.”
“I am not trying to hit you, but I’m probably not going to stop for you.”
Stay classy drivers..
May 1, 2010 at 3:23 pm #693674
shihtzuParticipantUnfortunately people also misinterpret “yield to the right”. Because you are “on the right” does not mean you don’t have to take turns with other drivers who were there before you.
Seriously. Some organization needs to make this a public service announcement.
May 1, 2010 at 3:26 pm #693675
HelperMonkeyParticipantthis has been a long-standing pet peeve of mine. also, apparently West Seattle drivers think a Yield sign is a gentle suggestion for them to ignore. sheesh. I stop at EVERY uncontrolled intersection, and also at every intersection where there is a yield sign in the opposite direction. I have almost been hit too many times to not be super careful now.
May 1, 2010 at 4:07 pm #693676
SueParticipantI also stop at uncontrolled intersections and traffic circles because I don’t trust what’s coming. And yes, the lack of understanding on who goes first is maddening.
May 1, 2010 at 4:17 pm #693677
jwwsParticipantNot to mention those folks who don’t know the proper way to drive around a traffic circle!
May 1, 2010 at 5:29 pm #693678
charlabobParticipantOK, now I think I understand what I thought was excessive politeness. My parallel annoyance is people who do the “after you — no, after you,” routine. I stop for someone on the right (or who got there first) and then they stop and then we both look at each other and … Puleeze — if someone does obey the law, give ’em a break and take the blipping right of way. :-)
May 1, 2010 at 5:47 pm #693679
SmittyParticipantMay 1, 2010 at 5:51 pm #693680
hopeyParticipantMay 1, 2010 at 6:31 pm #693681
SueParticipantI *love* that commercial, hopey. Don’t love when it happens in real life, obviously, but it really helped me to understand what was going on here.
May 1, 2010 at 7:10 pm #693682
PDieterParticipantOne of the problems appears to be; the interpretation of “approximately the same time” or as the OP puts it “waaaaaay before”
May 1, 2010 at 7:20 pm #693683
miwsParticipantI rarely drive anymore, since I haven’t had a car in over 14.5 years, but I would always slow down, and carefully look both ways, back and forth, at an uncontrolled intersection, and at the ones where the cross traffic had a yield sign.
At the ones where I had a yield sign, I’d damn near come to a stop, until I made sure there was no other traffic.
Of course, there were the occasions where I’d have some jerk right on my tail, throughout all of this, that probably wanted to be doing 30-35 or so, along those residentials with uncontrolled intersections.
Mike
May 3, 2010 at 4:27 pm #693684
KBearParticipant“My parallel annoyance is people who do the “after you — no, after you,” routine. “
YES. Especially when *I* am stopped at a stop sign and some moron on the arterial with no stop sign decides to stop for no reason other than to “politely” wave me through. (Usually when this happens, they’re blocking my line of sight, too, so I can’t see if anyone else is coming.)
May 3, 2010 at 5:14 pm #693685
JoBParticipanti learned to stop at uncontrolled intersections in Minnesota where the drivers make Washington Drivers look like they all took advanced driving courses.
May 4, 2010 at 5:18 pm #693686
BrianaMemberThis is one of my biggest pet peeves too! And I agree that many people now think that Yield signs are a suggestion! Nope, if there is another car coming you have to stop until it is clear to go! Why is that so hard to understand? I lived in San Diego the last seven years and drivers are so much better (IMO), except in the rain…when they should all just stay inside! ;)
May 4, 2010 at 6:14 pm #693687
PDieterParticipantnuggets from my daughters student handbook and the state drivers guide
pg 7.5 handbook: drivers approaching an intersection must yield to any road users already with in the intersection.
Vehicles approaching at the same time must yield to the vehicle on the right, (RCW46.61.180) (this is much more clear than “aprox the same time”
Both books point out a subtly that seems to be lost on many drivers of the pet peeve crowd…”the law says who must yield the right of way, it does not give anyone the right of way.”
some may need to read that several times to get it.
May 4, 2010 at 6:43 pm #693688
GenHillOneParticipantugh, KBear, I get that situation nearly every other day in my neighborhood – involving a hill no less – and have been known to (when I’m in a particularly annoyed mood) point out my stop sign with *flair*; sometimes the idiots STILL don’t get it! However, like PDieter, we’ve had the book at our house, so I try to behave, lol. A no-brainer on the test though because I’ve been spouting off about it for years :)
May 7, 2010 at 5:57 am #693689
rockhillsMemberI think it’s the same problem that causes Washingtonians to have difficulty understanding “slower traffic keep right” or “keep right except to pass” on the freeway.
May 7, 2010 at 2:02 pm #693690
SmittyParticipantCame within about 5 feet of a collision yesterday (with kids in the back seat, to boot).
Me, headed West on Bradford – him “flying” North on 38th. I mean, not even a fake slow-down of any kind – like they just KNOW that N/S doesn’t have to even pay attention. It’s horrible of me, but I wish so badly that these selfish idiots would collide with one another some time. Talk about lesson learned.
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