Courtesy, confusion, controversy

Up until now I’ve tried to cover aspects of advanced driving that, while in the IAM RoadSmart curriculum, aren’t widely or well understood. Moreover, when I discuss with Observers, I get a range of opinions.

This time I’m going off-piste a little and what follows below is not necessarily the position of IAM RoadSmart or CSAM but my own observations.

While driving to Worthing one morning last week, I was faced with some awkward decision making, or to be more precise, the planning in Observation, Anticipation and Planning (OAP). This was mainly because I couldn’t be sure about what I was anticipating…

I was approaching a T-junction, preparing to turn right; with the fairly open sightlines I could see one car approaching from the left, so I stopped at “the give way to traffic on major road” lines to wait for a suitable gap. The driver of the other car then proceeded to indicate right and pull to stop with space for me to pull out, they didn’t flash, gesture or otherwise signal apart from waiting in an odd position. By the time I had realised their intent, which was of course to let me out, another vehicle was approaching from the right and it was not safe for me to pull out; this new vehicle on the scene was also unsure what was happening and sensibly slowed considerably.

What had happened was a moment of well-intentioned courtesy from one driver that created confusion for the drivers of the two other vehicles.

Why were we confused? Well, we all know what the highway code tells us about when we should give way to others, it has a clear set of rules and conventions, but the well-intentioned courtesy was a break from these rules.

The moment we diverge from these rules we create uncertainty and doubt: is the intent of one driver understood by other drivers? This is a question that we cannot be sure of the answer.

This then leads to hesitation, which can then lead to frustration in others, and perhaps the originally courteous driver changing their mind suddenly… what could possibly go wrong?

A quick search through the Advanced Driver Observer or Associate Handbook for the word courtesy yields little, bar for an explanation on the reverse of the test sheet, stating:

“Does the Associate use courtesy in the way they approach hazards (thanking other road users, giving way when appropriate etc.). Do they consider their effects on others (such as when overtaking or approaching puddles near the kerbside).”

The key words here is “giving way when appropriate”. In my example above, it was appropriate for me to give way as per the road markings, not the other way around. There is a fine line between being courteous and overly courteous.

So, my plea to everyone is very simple: please stick to what’s written in the Highway Code – it’s a clear set of rules and conventions that we all share and (in theory) know.

Stay safe, on and off the road,

David.