40 Courtesy

Here's another vlog-style video where I discuss courtesy. What is it, when should you give it, how should you acknowledge it and what is misplaced courtesy?
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[@pilotpaul]

Good video Reg. Glad to see it's not just me using the hazards for acknowledgment purposes !

[@MultiOutdoorman]

Hi Reg. Thanks for that clip ... i find the most useful courtesy is when i am the lead vehicle in a long line of traffic moving along nicely in a built up area . I see a vehicle indicating to turn to their right across me that is holding up a huge queue of traffic . Here i will check my mirrors early and brake gently, early to warn traffic behind. Encouraging the bottleneck vehicle to turn so it will allow the rest of their following traffic to start flowing again. i try to avoid flashing lights too, because it can be misread by several other people elsewhere ahead... (dog walker crossing, bus about to pull away, another car / bike wanting to turn also etc ) The plan is to just slow gently and keep everybody moving without having to stop. Saves, congestion, pollution, frustration (which leads to accidents) and nurtures good rapport with other motorists. I am primarily a motorcyclist but drive also. Frequently some of those oncoming road users flash or wave in appreciation, that YOU have been thoughtful enough to maintain their journey indirectly. Feels good and makes a lot of us think about how we share the roads. Sy...

[@alistairbrown1846]

Good video! The expectation of being let out when joining from a slip road is actually dangerous as it seems some drivers even expect you to "let them out" when the slip road is joining a SINGLE carriageway - junctions like that are rare but there's one on the Daventry bypass. Had an astonishing incident there one morning where another driver seemed hell bent on driving into the side of me because I wouldn't "let him out". I might have felt guilty for not making a gap for him, if it hadn't been for the fact I was the only other car for miles! If you can't merge safely into a gap that's big enough to land a 747 then you really shouldn't be driving...

[@andrewlee5237]

Excellent video, I’ve been driving for 37 years and it’s surprising how many bad habits you develop. You videos help me to improve my driving and rid myself of bad habits such as those discussed in this video. Thank you 😊

[@mikeroberts]

Good to see some one else use switching from dip to sidelights and back as an acknowledgement at night. Nothing worse than being blinded by two main-beams by someone saying thank you. Lorries tend to use the hazard light 'thank you' and I'd not considered using it in the car. You mentioned being over courteous letting people out/in of side roads. One thing that annoys me is people who can't. or won't, steer correctly to turn right into a side road and will stop on the main road and expect you to come out, even though the junction is clearly marked with give way lines. The other issue is many people refuse to turn at cross roads off side to off side, and if you attempt to do that properly it causes problems. You end up having to adopt this incorrect convention otherwise you risk being hit.

[@kassiomarxrochanogueira8710]

Very helpful video. Keep uploading, I always like the video before watching because I know it's gonna be a nice video.

[@shrimpfarmer]

I remember being taught to drive by my dad and I used misplaced courtesy to allow someone out of a junction on the left. I got an instant slap around the back of my head followed by the explanation that someone will run into you doing that. Never forgot that and it was a good lesson. 👍

[@steve555106]

Great video reg spot on what you say about people thinking they are been courteous to others by letting them out but not realising they have just held up the other drivers behind them

[@SerenaBluee]

Some fantastic points to think about here as always; I will definitely be deploying the dipped-to-side light "flash" at night rather than main beams from now on. I have a few points of my own I would like to make for those interested. As a bus driver in London people sometimes show courtesy and let us pull away from a stop with a flash of the lights, a wave or no signal at all. To minimize disruption I find flashes the most useful as it is a clear signal that they are letting me pull out (unlike most drivers in London who blindly follow the car in front through a hazard) but we cannot always see a wave in the windscreen in our mirrors because we are usually sitting at least 50ft away from the driver behind. No signal at all can be very frustrating for both parties as we do not want to barge out into traffic, and those who do not signal are sometimes in a halfway house between letting you out and trying to get around. It usually results in neither party going and the traffic coming to a stop which would have been unnecessary with a flash, where we can often meet the gap and keep all traffic flowing. The best way for us to know is to take deliberate and predictable actions where we can tell that priority was given, for example slowing to open a visible gap in the traffic of three to five car lengths depending on approaching speed, or holding a position just peeking out to the side of the bus rather than straddling the centre line as though you are going to pass. We can have a very stressful time trying to operate such a large vehicle on congested roads so any courtesies given are certainly appreciated, and I always repay them where I can and where appropriate. If anyone has any queries about the perspective of a driver of large vehicles, I will do my best to answer them!

[@paulgreenwood3245]

Hi Reg, thank you for posting this. Long time viewer, first time commenting. Misplaced courtesy is something I endure every day being a driving instructor, along with tailgaters and being pulled out on. One recently stopped on a roundabout to wave my client on. We both were not prepared for this as the traffic was flowing nicely and we were happy to wait for a safe gap. This also happens a lot when teaching turning and emerging for the first time. They stop on the main road and wave us through from the minor to the major, very annoying as puts the learner driver under a lot of pressure. Thanks again for all your videos, doing a great job! Kind regards Paul

[@charlesholland-keen2222]

Totally agree with all the points you made on this video. I was interested in your thoughts about using the hazard flash to acknowledge a courtesy. I feel happier about using it now. I always tell associates to check out your videos as I found them very helpful before my advanced test.

[@jacobthompson8507]

I always use my hazards to say thank you to a car behind. I’ve got tinted rear windows, they can’t see me wave.

[@Mike_5]

It is very important to remember Courtesy and the act thereof is a noun and is defined as the showing of politeness in one's attitude and behaviour towards others and not doing that yourself as that would be a verb instead so i always try to have that thought first in my mind whilst driving and so should you all you other drivers and aspiring learners out there. Misplaced courtesy can of course be defined as the other person or person(s) taking the p**s. Quality video as usual Reg L.

[@mikeroberts]

Being courteous can be as simple as leaving space for other road users in town. Not simply maintaining a fixed distance from the vehicle ahead. You can see me doing this in my demo rides in town. Still moving but allowing traffic to blend where appropriate.

[@lambofGod886]

Another excellent video. Loving these, Reg !

[@zanderzoot]

Another helpful video Reg, thank you. Any chance of a video on making progress in cities?

[@SerenaBluee]

I'm a London bus driver (right through the middle of the City) and the usual concepts of observation, planning and anticipation will make the most progress in cities; being in the correct lane at the right time for your direction of travel, keeping up observations at traffic lights so you are not caught out by them turning red or going green, and looking at the bus lane time restrictions on the blue signs (even when cars are allowed to use them most drivers have no idea and you can make use of the extra road space while they sit and queue in traffic on their phones). A few things that I would be mindful of relate to speed when making progress in cities. Using the bus lanes when you are allowed to is the single biggest time saver in my experience (your mileage may vary of course but it is worth trying in your area) but do keep your speed down when passing lines of stationary traffic. We have much better forward visibility driving large vehicles because our eyeline is so much higher up and people crossing the road can see us coming over the Chelsea tractors and stupid coupé-4x4s that clutter our urban roads. Pedestrians frequently won't see a car coming in the bus lane as they cross the road between the stationary traffic and are very likely to step out in front of you; for this reason I never do more than about 10mph when passing stationary traffic in the lane beside me. The signs work the same way as parking restrictions - "Monday to Friday 7am-7pm" for example means that outside those hours any vehicle is free to use them. They are normally in place to cover the morning and evening rush hours so this may be of no use to you when commuting. If no time is listed then they are full time bus lanes and you will likely enjoy the privilege of making a £35 donation to your local council. Reduced speed limits really should be adhered to as a conscientious advanced driver, even at night time when the roads might be quiet. It can be tempting to open it up when you get past a particular queue but you will really not save any time at all on your journey as average speeds in cities are dictated mostly by your time stationary. Over an hour long trip driving a bus in London the difference between a calm relaxed drive and pushing on for every centimetre of road advantage is less than one minute. To summarise; observations, planning and anticipation, and using all available road space where appropriate! Sorry for the long post, but I hope some of these tips can help. I too would very much appreciate a video from Reg on this. (Edited to make it less wall-of-text)

[@DeeSock]

15:10 In UK - not Russia - I thought general guidance on using the hazards (while not a stationary obstruction or not approaching an obstruction) was it is considered misplaced courtesy, plus illegal, plus could even give the wrong message to another road user like an unseen motorbike alongside thinking it is indicating, plus makes legal road users appear uncourteous for not using, plus might potentially weaken the desired effect of getting following cars to slow down for a real hazard

[@supertouring22]

I get a lot of right hand salutes when driving, usually with the middle finger raised. Is this a good thing? ;) Love your videos by the way, lots of good advice delivered in a very clear way. Thanks

[@henryrolt3747]

5:57 Exactly this. I have had so many people turn right across my path while I'm cycling after being flashed/waved across by a "courteous" driver who hasnt spotted me coming upbehind in the cycle lane or bus lane ( I don't tend to expect piority over right-turning traffic when filtering on the main carriageway).

[@nataliedebiase5089]

On the old lady crossing situation, we had the situation recently where the car travelling in the opposite direction stopped to alllow the lady to cross from our right, she started to cross and i felt compelled to also stop to let her finish, im not sure what would have been not only certious but what's safe, it was heavy traffic. Also on the point about people pulling out from junctions on the right, if the car has pulled out fully into the road should me letting them out this way? It all gets so confusing.

[@TheDirector17]

Reg - good vlog. Nice to see someone promoting the use of a couple of hazard flashes as a thankyou. I've never quite understood the AD wisdom that even 1-2 flashes is inappropriate as it is not an emergency. I find use varies across the UK. In London, almost all road users will use it to thank you for letting them out. It subconsciously feels rude if they don't (!) Flashing main beams to say thanks is prevalent. I admit to doing this myself, but I try to keep the flash to the very very tiniest possible (so the bulbs barely reach full brightness). This is harder to do on modern cars with LED headlights/digital control Vs an old school relay as the flash seems more aggressive. I'll give your suggested method a try. Looking forward to hearing about Indian driving customs

[@aztimms]

Hazard lights may only be used to warn of temp. obstruction when at "rest" (ex. briefly on m-way or 70mph dual to warn followers of trouble ahead) under reg.18 of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989. Such contravention of the regs. would constitute a criminal offence under the Road Traffic Act. Hence one is not advised to use the hazards to acknowledge courtesy.

[@goons123flofy]

Thumbs up for a great topic! Subscribed

[@vladimirl8753]

Hi Reg! Nice video, lots of good info! What about the opposite side of courte

[@vladimirl8753]

Sorry, pressed the wrong button. What about anger and how to deal with it? I find it difficult sometimes. How do you deal with idiots on the road? Thanks!

[@stephenbagwell8275]

Misplaced courtesy by drivers going Eastbound on Wash Lane Bury at the junction with Willow Street causes congestion

[@henryrolt3747]

I have had someone get huffy with me for not taking them up on their offer to turn right in front of them, into the path of a car approaching up their inside. somehow I didn't fancy getting T-boned.

[@paullees7111]

I was told recently not to use hazard lights to say thank you

[@michaelkennedy8573]

technically shouldn't, Imagine the car infront sees a hazard and you take it as a thank you for something just done. Lorry drivers dont flash hazards they flash left then right .

[@paullees7111]

@@michaelkennedy8573 How does that work on a car with "tap for a couple of flash" indicators? Reg Local, would also be interested to know your thoughts (keen to learn)

[@michaelkennedy8573]

@@paullees7111 I don't understand your question mate?

[@paullees7111]

@@michaelkennedy8573 A quick left right flash would probably confuse some cars. Equaly is the lorry driver moving in or out? Ideally there would be a "Thank you" button