this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
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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.