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rossboss711 t1_j2b5vm0 wrote

Reply to comment by OwnResource in People who stop because they’ve missed their turn on a rotary- do you realize it’s a circle? by roadtrip-ne

I’m convinced right of way is not taught in drivers ed in Massachusetts. In any context

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Consistent_Syrup_235 t1_j2bi32b wrote

I've had friends who grew up in Boston tell me seriously that someone turning left has the right of way. That plus all the waving other people around makes driving here so unpleasant

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Mysterious_Exam1425 t1_j2bsl2g wrote

Unpleasant... And - Unsafe...!!! Don't stop, suddenly, when you've got the right-of-way to wave in someone from a Stop Sign. You could get rear ended or worse. It's not being polite or nice... That's being dangerous.

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Otherwise-Fly-331 t1_j2cqh6j wrote

Sorry a sign told me to show courtesy to side street traffic, excuse me while I slam on my brakes with a line of cars behind me

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wizardid t1_j2d08pr wrote

I know the signs you're talking about, and they make me irrationally angry.

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SinibusUSG t1_j2c0cuy wrote

People who think they can jump the green light and turn left ahead of oncoming traffic at a light drive me nuts. It’s cold comfort that if I were to smash into them they’d be at fault.

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barkbarkkrabkrab t1_j2dy7ye wrote

Lol there is a Wikipedia for a "Pittsburgh/Boston Left" describing an informal right of way. Its one thing if someone pitties you and waves ya through but I hate it when people just fucking go for it.

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cptngali86 t1_j2c51rs wrote

The driver always has the right of way in MA 😂

They all drive like it anyways.

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chronicallyill_dr t1_j2fax7p wrote

To be fair there are countries where the right of way changes depending on the STATE you’re in, so if they got their diver’s license elsewhere they genuinely might not know or have thought to look it up until the moment they were faced with a rotary. Mexico is one of such places, 0/10 makes road trips weird.

Also tf is up with the places where the person merging into the rotary has the right of way, it totally defeats its purpose.

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[deleted] t1_j2bhkl6 wrote

[deleted]

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abhikavi t1_j2bkor5 wrote

I mean, if someone's in the street I DO go out of my way to not hit them with my car.

Does it matter? Hot take I know but I don't wanna kill someone just because they were jaywalking.

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Darklighter10 t1_j2crr8k wrote

lol, I don’t think that’s what they said. As an objective fact, legally a person crossing the street outside a crosswalk or against a light is doing so unlawfully. That in no way implies that a driver should not yield in that circumstance, and in practice cars defer to them anyway. That doesn’t mean someone should just walk into the middle of the street whenever they feel like it.

That being said, if an accident ever occurred and there was a lawsuit, the pedestrian can collect damages if they are found by a jury to be any number less than 50% responsible.

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Old_Travel8423 t1_j2biqsz wrote

The most important rule in life is “don’t be an idiot”. This applies to all.

Drivers: pay attention. Follow the rules of the road, unless doing so in a specific situation is less safe than not following them, in which case do the safest thing. Drive safely and avoid accidents. Try not to succumb to road rage. If you’re going to speed, do it in a safe way - not in residential areas near playgrounds or schools. Speed limits aren’t there to slow you down for no reason, they’re there because most drivers don’t pay attention and pedestrians die at high speeds.

Pedestrians: be visible. Be predictable. Cross when you have the explicit right of way or when you’re sure you’re not impeding the flow of traffic. Look both ways before crossing, yes, even in crosswalks and even on one way streets. Make sure that cars have ample time (5+ seconds) to see you and stop before crossing. Reaction time is like 1-2 seconds, plus stopping time 2 seconds or so. It won’t kill you to wait 5 seconds, it might kill you if you don’t.

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ChefBoyAreWeFucked t1_j2c6krd wrote

"Act as though pedestrians have the right of way no matter what", not "pedestrians have the right of way no matter what."

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