why do the nice people drive funny

December 3, 2005 5:41 PM

I’m driving considerably more than I used to, and have noticed an interesting phenomenon as a result. At least once a day, I see a driver coming towards a stop sign, prepared to make a rolling stop, fixated on looking to their right. At the final second, they look to the left and slam the brakes upon seeing an approaching vehicle. I’d like to figure out why these folks look to the right, instead of the left, which is the lane that will crash into them first. Am I just noticing the bad drivers because they stand out, or there a better explanation?
posted by yorick to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

In motorcycling, you tend to move to where your head is pointing- in other words, look left, lean left, go left.

Personally, it's a habit that's carried over to driving a car, but I've also noticed that most people who drive tend to do it as well, although very much less pronounced.

So, making a right hand turn, means you will begin to turn your head to the right- then you realize your ass is going to get handed to you by the semi flying at 100KPH from the left and you slam on the brakes.

I would say it's probably normal behaviour.
posted by id at 5:47 PM on December 3, 2005

Possibly they're tourists from a country where they drive on the left side of the road (UK, Australia, others)?

I know that during my travels in the US it took me some time to get used to looking in the other direction at intersections. It was even more noticeable when crossing a road on foot.
posted by planetthoughtful at 5:48 PM on December 3, 2005

The driving school (Canada) taught me to look left, then straight ahead, than right, then one last check to the left before proceeding.

Perhaps the drivers had already looked to the left (and either didn't see the approaching car or misjugded its distance or speed). They then could be looking right to make sure they don't run over any pedestrians who could be crossing the street, before a final check back to the left causes them to stomp on their brakes.
posted by curbstop at 6:19 PM on December 3, 2005

If it's a four-way intersection, maybe their top priority is gauging how long they'll be sitting at the stop, i.e. is there someone approaching to whom they'll have to yield. A car at the stop to their right would have right-of-way, so is of more concern, while a car at the stop to their left would have to yield to them, assuming the cars reach the intersection at about the same time.
posted by neda at 6:19 PM on December 3, 2005

In addition to left-centre-right, which curbstop mentioned, I was taught (Young Drivers, also in Canada) "wheels follow eyes", so yes, you look the way you intend to go and should follow the inside of a curve with your eyes. So that could be it.

I'm surprised, though. As a pedestrian, when I used to talk to the office it would happen pretty much daily that I would be almost hit by an idiot driver who looked left but never bothered to look right or check their right blind spot.
posted by duck at 6:45 PM on December 3, 2005

The driving school (Canada) taught me to look left, then straight ahead, than right, then one last check to the left before proceeding.

This is also taught in the US, so assuming the drivers the OP is seeing were brough up here, they're not remembering their driving school lessons very well. Considering my experiences sharing the road with the average driver, I'm not surprised. God bless public transit.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 6:52 PM on December 3, 2005

i am one of these drivers. its angles. while i am approaching an intersection i can see much further to the right than i can to the left. of course this only applies if there are buildings, trees, signs, people or other objects near the corner. i will look to the right until im sure its clear at which point i check the left to ensure clearance, keep going and while entering the intersection the right side can be double checked.
posted by Sonic_Molson at 7:37 PM on December 3, 2005

Yes, angles. This happens all the time at one particular spot on my way home. Drivers approaching the stop sign probably look left just before they stop, but a hedge prevents a complete view. Meanwhile, as they look right, I have come out from behind the hedge. Once in twenty times they are ready to go without looking left again, and I'm on my horn and high beam. They get this surprised look as they jam on the brakes, like "Where did you come from?" Duh.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:33 PM on December 3, 2005

I'd say the clue is in the phrase "rolling stop". There is no such thing. If you're rolling, you are not stopped. People who do this are unclear on the concept, and are going to pay for it one way or another. It is not surprising that they don't know which way to look.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:32 AM on December 4, 2005

I was taught left-right-left back in the day in California. I was also taught to use my turn signal to indicate changing lanes or turning.

I am convinced this information is no longer taught to young drivers. And so, over the years, they get really good at driving poorly.

There are a lot of really shitty drivers out there. Forget the distractions of cell phones for a second, some of these people shouldn't be allowed on the public roads. Put a cell phone, food, a radio, a passenger, and other distractions and it pure luck that keeps them from crashing.

This is especially true in Texas. Combine poor skills with the desire to drive the biggest truck or SUV made and no one is safe.
posted by birdherder at 5:11 AM on December 4, 2005

I am convinced this information is no longer taught to young drivers. And so, over the years, they get really good at driving poorly.

In my experience, it's taught. People just ignore it.
posted by musicinmybrain at 9:36 AM on December 4, 2005

I think the natural instinct for a lot of drivers is to think about where they're going first, then about whether or not there's going to be something preventing them from going there.

Such as a STOP sign? Rolling "stops" are just bad driving. Performing one without even checking the direction from which you'll be smashed is idiocy.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 9:57 AM on December 4, 2005

Are they usually turning right? If so, I think the natural instinct for a lot of drivers is to think about where they're going first, then about whether or not there's going to be something preventing them from going there.

From my experience most are turning left. The natural instinct when turning right is often the opposite of what you suggest. It's tempting to just look left, since that's the only direction from which traffic in your lane can come, unless someone is passing, in which case you've just turned right into a head-on.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:45 AM on December 4, 2005