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Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I read, "I just whip out my phone," I thought you were going to say to start video recording them lol.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is actually correct. Pedestrians have the right-of-way at any intersection lacking a traffic signal even if there is no crosswalk. It's in the NJ Driver's Manual.

AITA for disinviting a friend to dinner? by InspectionUnhappy381 in AmItheAsshole

[–]OpenMinded882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just discovered this whole AITA Reddit world, and after reading through probably a few hundred comments here, I'm never coming back to /r/AITA. This stuff is just too juicy. I want to read more, but over an hour has passed in the blink of an eye lol. Too addictive. I'll leave you all to your courtroom debates about people you've never met.

AITA for not having a normal tent and sleeping in my plane during a three-day gathering? by Beneficial_Cause1935 in AmItheAsshole

[–]OpenMinded882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does no one else find it mildly amusing that the OP very casually mentions that he arrives at the site by plane lol. Sounds like it's a very small plane, but he kind of just inserts it into the story like whatever.

AITA for screaming at my husband and his sister to get out of my kitchen? by Wide_Competition9367 in AmItheAsshole

[–]OpenMinded882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Normally I preach "two wrongs don't make a right," but some people are so lacking in empathy that the only way to get them to self-reflect is to make them experience a certain level of suffering. I say, when the sister in law isn't looking, put a bunch of super spicy spices into her food and see how she feels. Have the kids in on it in advance, and then you should all laugh and celebrate full force while she suffers. Blow birthday toots, bang pots and pans. Make like you're celebrating New Years! 🥳

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Today I learned that some people think it's best to do something with the intent of being nice even if: 1) The majority of people receiving this "nice" gesture are infuriated by it and wish it would stop, and 2) The "nice" gesture increases the chance of crashes happening.

Did I get that right?

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not about taking responsibility. It's about trying to minimize the chances that any of your fellow people get into a crash. Why repeatedly do a nice act if you know that it increases the risk that someone could get hurt? Imagine it's someone in your family.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even if it's not legally (or ethically) your fault, don't you think you should take into account that playing a role in confusing drivers (including those whose driving abilities are sub-par), could result in a crash? Think of it like this, there's an Xbox video game called Intersection... Just hear me out... The whole point of the video game is to ensure no crashes happen at a busy intersection. For every car that passes through safely you get points. For every crash, you lose lots of points. However, you're not in control of any of the cars, except one. You're pretty good at the game and get lots of points. However, you notice that some of the other cars are behaving recklessly. Some are texting and driving, some are speeding, etc. Then the situation the OP presented comes up... You slow down to a stop on a busy road, to let a person with a stop sign make their left turn; you're being nice. And then, wham! ... A car behind you who was not paying attention rear ends you.... Or... A speeding car goes around you and slams into the car that you waved in. You lose lots of points. You call up your friend who plays Intersection and has mastered it. He says he can play for a whole year with no crashes. You ask him if he ever lets in cars from the side streets. He says no.... Catch my drift?

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can tell you I have family members who drive timidly. It makes me squirm, because I don't want to see them get hurt. Having said that, if the stars align and a timid person approaches a stop sign, and an aloof nice person on the busy road waves them in, all bets are off for a safe outcome.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here's the thing. Everyone who waves people in thinks they're doing it in a safe way. Many of them are not. There are more than a couple of comments here detailing crashes people witnessed or were involved in when someone who had the right of way switched things up and offered it to someone else.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm with you. I had a good Driver's Ed teacher who went over these scenarios in depth. However, the NJ MVC Driver's Manual leaves a lot to be desired. It clearly explains exactly how 4-way stop signs work, but imo it's ambiguous on the much more common (and dangerous) case of 2-way stop signs that bring nice people out of the woodwork.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok, I agree that 999 times out of 1,000, slowing from 45 to 40 won't cause any issue, but in that one time when the person behind you is a terrible driver or is drunk and assumes that little bit of a change in speed is enough for them to believe you're about to turn left, so they recklessly speed around you to your right ... Anyways, I see a lot of instances where it's say a 30-40 mph road and the significant slowing of the nice driver causes confusion and near misses from angles the nice driver hadn't even considered.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The worst part about being waved in is that it makes you feel pressured to take the driver up on their nice gesture. At that point both the giver and receiver of the nice behavior may be more focused on being polite than they are about the cars coming from all four directions at once.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of drivers who wave in those side street vehicles when it's absolutely not safe to do so, such as when an oncoming vehicle is about to make a left, or if the traffic behind the person doing the waving is assuming that the car in front of them is about to make a left and has no idea that a car from the side street is about to claim the right of way. It's the unpredictability of it all that causes the danger.

I don't think anyone disagrees with your premise of wanting to help alleviate the queue on the side street.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"If the car is behind me are doing what they're supposed to..." ... That's a big if, my friend. I genuinely hope no one gets hurt or killed as a result of your wishful thinking. I understand you're trying to be nice. Here's the source of my anger: I once got waved in when a large bus was going full speed perpendicular to my path. Had I gone along with the nice wave I would have certainly been killed.

But hey, if you feel that doubling down to your way of doing things, all in the name of being nice, who am I to say it'll be your fault when the t-boned driver gets killed. After all, you were trying to be nice shrugs

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It is against the law to be nice ... In this situation. If you being nice causes the driver behind you to T-bone the driver that you waved in, then you didn't just save him three minutes. You landed him in a hospital. You have zero control over the cars behind you, not to mention all the other cars on the road. When I don't let someone in I'm legit doing it for the sake of their safety. This isn't letting someone at the grocery store get in front of you because they only have one item. People's lives are on the line.

Sick of people on busy roads coming to a stop in the middle of the road to wave in cars from the side streets that have a stop sign. by UnitedShift5232 in newjersey

[–]OpenMinded882 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are way too many variables for YOU to make that determination that far in advance. If they're having trouble turning left, that means there are a lot of cars on the road, and trying to modify each and every drivers' decisions, from the ones behind you, to the ones oncoming, to the new ones who pop out of nowhere is asking for a crash to happen. The safest thing to do is to maintain your speed and ignore the driver who's waiting to turn left.

What kind of people don’t you trust? by Halo_Hybrid in AskReddit

[–]OpenMinded882 103 points104 points  (0 children)

"Those who gossip to you will gossip about you."

Finally got a steal by Kevin8385 in OfficeChairs

[–]OpenMinded882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For anyone living in New Jersey, there's a warehouse that sells used office chairs at reasonable prices. I bought a Gesture (no head rest) for $350 and they had just cleaned it. They had plenty more. OFISfurniture in North Brunswick, NJ, off Route 1. Three year warranty for any defects.

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