While backing out of my driveway the other morning, I paused for an approaching car to pass. To my annoyance, although the other driver clearly had the right-of-way, the car stopped when it reached my driveway instead of continuing past. I waited. The other driver waited. We were positioned so that there was a tree blocking our views of each other's windshields. I suspected that driver must have been waving me on, but without being able to see hands behind that tree, I couldn't be certain.
Finally, after a minute and a half of complete standoff, the driver started moving forward again, quite slowly and uncertainly. I then checked the road, pulled out, and continued on my errand.
Similar scenes play out on the road all the time, most frequently at four-way stops. We have guidelines about who has the right-of-way in almost all kinds of situations, but often people either don't understand those rules and therefore don't follow them, or in a misguided effort toward courtesy--as I'm quite sure was the case that morning--forego right-of-way to allow the other person to go first.
What is intended as a kindness can create a situation that is frustrating and dangerous as the two drivers try to guess each others' next move, with varying degrees of success, resulting in continued standoff, frantic gesturing, or even a collision.
Personally, I wish we'd do each other a simpler kindness: just follow the rules.
© 2007 by AnnaLisa Michalski