this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
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If I count to three at a green and you don’t move I’m assuming you’re staring at your phone or are otherwise distracted. It’s less “those seconds are precious” and more “pay attention and get off your fucking phone when driving.”
This is exactly what I'm thinking. This dude can snark all he wants but most drivers aren't honking unless you're sitting at a green light, more than likely because you're not paying attention.
I've been honked at the instant a light has turned green. So fast that I didn't go because they surely must have been honking for something else. Most drivers are reasonable but if you've never seen a driver lose their shit then you haven't driven long enough.
And how was your visit to Ottawa?
It was Chicago lol. I fuckin hate driving in Chicago.
That's when I purposely sit at the light for an extra 5 seconds before moving. Am I an asshole? Maybe.
Most drivers are reasonable. A lot are distracted as well. I would be fully in favor of phones being locked down the moment you start your engine. If a call is that important, pull over.
My trick: IMMEDIATELY release the brake so the guy behind me knows I’m clearly paying complete attention, but don’t touch the gas until I’ve seen folks starting to stop from both directions and don’t see any potential runners. Also more efficient to start from a roll than a stop.
This kind of subtle communication is really helpful while driving. When I’m blocked moving somewhere, I’ll leave tons of space so I can crawl at a barely perceptible pace towards the blockage as it moves outta the way. e.g. I want to let pedestrians in a crosswalk get both feet onto the curb* but that might be unusual to the point another driver doesn’t know if I’m waiting or distracted. The crawl says “yeah I’m going…” and prevents honks. Though def need enough space, a slow enough speed, and a smile and a wave, so the pedestrian won’t feel rushed or in danger.
*non-divided/medianless roads
How does that work if you are on an uphill? You will just roll back into the car behind you, unless you mean balance on the clutch? But then how does it work if it is a fairly steep downhill? You will just roll forward anyway if you release the brakes. The other issue is that your brake lights do not light up if you use your handbrake instead. All this to prevent someone getting impatient over a split second delay; it's just not worth the hassle. You are better of using that effort to observe your surroundings better and not worry about what the person behind you thinks.
I do this sort of thing at busy stop-signed intersections. See, many people in my area have a tendency to be nice and wave you through, even when they have the right of way - it's infuriating! They're just slowing us both down by not being assertive and predictable. So I've taken up the habit of adjusting my speed approaching the intersection to avoid stopping at the same time as someone else. Usually that means slowing down a little bit early, then just creeping for a couple seconds but not quite coming to a stop until I see them start to accelerate away. Less often I'll do the opposite though, if it looks like I'll get to the intersection slightly sooner than another person, or I know that I should have the right of way, I'll be more aggressive and try to stop and accelerate away (safely) before they would even need to wait on me.
Genius. This is the perfect solution.
The light leaving my neighborhood is about 5 seconds long, so you get 2 seconds to at least let off the brake. Missing it means waiting another 5 min before the light is green again. I get it, in my state we have people blowing through blatant red lights so it’s worth some action. but when there’s a line of 6 cars behind you, I’m not going to let you perpetuate the problem of people running reds… because you’re not even looking. Yes Joe next door, I see you on your phone, every day.
In more positive news, love the summer. Ride the bike more than drive the car. So much less headache. When I sell my house, I’m moving to a walkable city so my car is near pointless and it’s cheaper to Uber.
Another vote in agreement. I read this post and thought the author had no idea how long the light was green cause he wasn’t paying attention.
Also, the guy behind him made the light, but 3 cars back might not have because this guy is not paying attention.
If it's a problem for those 3 cars back, then there is a traffic flow issue, (or not - sometimes slowing traffic makes it go faster overall). And while idiots on phones are an issue, if a second or two extra matters that much to you, then the solution is on you to have left home earlier. Spend 5 minutes less sitting on the toilet playing with your phone in the morning.
Again, you’re saying a second or 2, and it’s probably more like 10 seconds at a light that stays green for 20 seconds.
Having to get caught at a red light 2 times in a row because somebody is not paying attention is just annoying. It’s not a matter of me getting there on time. I don’t want to sit at a red light that I shouldn’t have to cause somebody is not paying attention.
I have one counter argument. I'd rather see people on their phones when stopped than while actually in motion.
Annoying either way but I'd rather wait 3 extra seconds than watch them run someone over.
They ain’t only using it when stopped.
Counter counter argument, using you phone while driving is illegal for a reason. There's no reason outside of extreme emergencies that anyone needs to use their phone while operating a vehicle.
Counter counter counter argument, people are gonna do it regardless 🤷♂️
I'm not disagreeing with you btw. Just acknowledging that. Especially the way cars are basically made with phones in mind anymore.
It's still illegal if you're in traffic even if stopped for a reason.
If you want to use your phone, pull over. I'll give you a pass at a red light to punch in an address or load an audiobook since neither takes as long as a light change. It's still not ideal, but I get it.
It's actually more like 4 seconds average, even if you are paying attention because most people only get moving when the person before them starts moving. So like thunder and lightning, there is a delay between the time you see the light turn green and the people ahead of you actually move.
It's absolutely infuriating.
I've driven in places where a few seconds was just how long people sat at the green light. I didn't get it until I was there long enough to notice how insanely often cross traffic was definitely successfully sneaking through that yellow at the last moment.
I don't do it to that extent, but I do now give it a few beats to account for other drivers insanity.
I try to assume positive things, so if someone hasn't gone after a few I tend to assume that they've done what I know I've done, which is to pull up to the light and rather than intently watch the light, to keep looking at the road and cross traffic and just not notice the light change in my upper periphery.
Way more common if there's a protected turn at the intersection or it's otherwise not symmetrical.
I’ve got eyes I can see what’s happening lol
Ah, when you said you assumed they were on their phone I figured that meant you assumed they were on their phone, not that you could see them using their phones.
Seeing someone using their phone at a green light is different from just getting mad at someone for not moving within three seconds.
I mean 9 times out of 10 you can tell when somebody is using a phone. I’m not honking if I am two or three cars back
This is usually accounted for by the traffic light pattern. Where I’m from both sides will be red for about ~2 seconds before it changes to green. Obviously it’s never a bad thing to be watching for cars running the red light but waiting 3 seconds AFTER a green would annoy the hell out of me lol
In some places that "lemme just squeeze through" can be pretty egregious.
Whether the system accounts for it or not doesn't change the fact that I've driven in places where you'd be foolish not to pause.
I didn't bring the habit home, at least not to the extent I saw, but it made me a lot more forgiving of people who pause and a lot more aware of how often I actually see people run a red just as it turns green for me.
I've had to drive places where time mattered, and even then five seconds just did not matter.
Sometimes it’s shifting gears. Clutch leg can get annoyed in heavy traffic. So, foot off the clutch, out of gear at a light for a little sigh of relief. Probably takes an extra second or 3 to get going. No phone involved.
You can switch gears when you see yellow light already so you don't lose green light time. It takes me something between 0.5 to 1 sec to switch to first gear when my foot is at rest (not counting reaction time).
In 2024 that’s increasingly rare and I can usually see them using their phone plain as day from behind.
Yeah, this right here. If you’re mad it happens to you when you are just making sure everyone is actually stopping at their red light, you can blame the morons who stare at their phones while driving and run red lights, and the morons who stare at their phones while waiting at red lights.
Seriously put your fucking phone down, you’re driving