Why is it very difficult for our drivers to say thanks when they have been given way? I mean I don't expect them to whisper the word because I will not notice that anyway, let alone wind down the window and utter it in a perfectly clear diction but not even a smile of the artificial kind, come on. Eye contact is far and few in between, especially if I'm the one asking for way. They will try their utmost best not to acknowledge my existence, effectively passing the buck to the next driver. And we shall repeat this ten more times.
Sometimes, bus and lorry drivers have better manners on the road.
What ever happened to the good old wave? Five or six years ago, I could still see drivers doing that as a signal of gratitude for allowing them the space caused by their own queue cutting but justified actions or not, nowadays the act seems to have been lost in the carbonous oxide. I get fumed up (pun intended) quickly if I made so much effort to brake or slow down as a courtesy to the offending driver only to get nothing from him, or her.
If opening your mouth or raising your hand or smiling your yellowing teeth prove too physical or perhaps not cool, try flashing your hazard lights for a couple of ticks. It's so easy. Just press the red triangle on your dashboard. One blink means thanks, twice means thank you and if you really felt guilty about that car screeching just so you could squeeze in, try multiple blinks which mean you were not supposed to cut in but had to because of another idiot but thank you so much for the trouble you took.
That's the least anyone could do if all else fails. Drivers in the UK do this and what's more, they normally accompany it with a heartfelt wave.
I hope someone will pick this simple gesture up and include it in the road safety curriculum to be introduced at our schools next year.
In the meantime, why don't you start practising it? It will be quite amusing to see that puzzled face in the rearview mirror.
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