One of the most dangerous things most of us will do this year is sit behind a steering wheel.
We’ll put our key in the ignition, and for as long as we’re driving a machine weighing more than one and a half tonnes, we’ll make hundreds of little decisions – some of them good, some of them bad.
While we know the biggest killer on our roads is speeding, followed by drink driving, not wearing seat belts, fatigue and distraction (phones for example), there is a new question around the danger of politeness.
Colloquially dubbed the ‘Wave of Death’, there is debate in the United States about whether waving a pedestrian or another driver across the road, potentially resulting in injury or a fatality, is a criminal act.
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Here’s an example.
In 1998, a man named Donald Cook was sued in South Jersey. A woman named Lori Miller was waiting to make a left turn in a congested area. Making eye contact with her, Cook motioned not once, but twice, that he would let her pass. Cook’s car, however, wasn’t the only issue. When Miller did take the turn, she collided with a third vehicle.
Both injured parties sued Cook, who argued in court that his gesture to pass did not mean he owed anyone a “duty of care”.
The court ultimately did not apportion Cook’s share of the blame, but acknowledged that the wave absolutely contributed to the crash.
So, can what might seem like a small act of politeness prove dangerous for pedestrians and other drivers?
Jerome Carslake, Manager of the National Road Safety Partnership Program, says as awful as it sounds, “courtesy could be a killer”.
“Someone will assume they’re doing something nice and novel,” Carslake explains, “but the safest thing would be to work with traffic, and let the other person make an informed decision.”
Top Comments
I think it’s patronising as well. I’m an adult, I know the road rules, I can also get out of an intersection, I don’t need your help. It’s a hindrance. People stop!
How on Earth is this patronising???
Someone is going out of their way to try and make things easier for you.
I hate when people do this. If I'm crossing the road, unless it's a zebra crossing, just keep going. I can wait the 5 seconds. I also had someone do similar at a light the other day. They had right of way, turning left, I was crossing over the traffic turning right, and they were waving me through. No-follow the very clear rules, other wise I'm waiting for you, but you are telling me to go, and then we both go to go, and then....
I mostly agree with you, but if a pedestrian is waiting at an intersection when you approach in a car, they have the right of way. So if you're crossing the road, the car shouldn't keep going, even if it's not a zebra crossing. At least, that's the law in Victoria.
"When turning at any intersection (except at a roundabout), you must give way to any pedestrians."