Driving Etiquette

There is this corner by my house. Very treacherous. Lots of crosses and plastic flowers here and there along the roadside to indicate death due to traffic accident.

There is no stoplight at this intersection. I have to transverse it almost every day when I am driving The Athlete to practice.

I get to this intersection and I wait to turn left. Always a left. But the Bozo across the street from me, coming to the end of his scenic view out of the valley, is always in a Feel Good mood and wants to let me go first, even though he has the right of way.

So he does this: He flashes his lights at me.
The problem with this kind gesture is that there is usually a car coming from the right at 45 miles per hour just 40 feet away. And then the car who was being "courteous" by letting me go gets mad when I don't risk my life and try to turn left really quickly and dangerously.

Like I am going to kill The Athlete before she pays me back for my years of dedication driving her to and from to practice and far-away competitions with a college scholarship.

And while on this subject of driving etiquette, we need to talk about The Wave.

The Wave is the method of thanking someone for letting you into traffic. There are many different types of waves. The five-second consistent wave, the hand-up hand-down wave, the circular swiping wave and the sincere placing of the palm on the window for a moment wave.

I prefer the last one. I am the only one I know who uses that wave. The Entrepreneur thinks it is cheesy. But then, he does the Side-to-side vigorous wave. And that is just too extreme.

Whatever wave you use, at least employ one. Not waving in response to a traffic courtesy is just rude, even when the favor involves risking your life.