Ever been waiting to make an unprotected left turn in traffic, and someone in the oncoming traffic in front of you motions to let you in?
Don’t take the bait. That person is a “nicehole”, and they may get you killed.
What is a “nicehole”?
Although I just learned about this term recently, “nicehole” was coined about a decade ago. Sue Thomas on the Mark Reardon Show defined this as a driver “who thinks they’re being nice but is actually driving dangerously.” Usually, this is a driver who believes they should actively choose to give their right-of-way up for a driver who doesn’t have it.
Some examples include:
- Stopping in a roundabout to let someone in
- Stopping at a crosswalk for a pedestrian that is waiting to cross but has not indicated they are
- Waving someone “through” a gap in traffic to make a turn
You might be wondering what’s wrong with at least one of those examples. There’s two main issues this kind of “nice” can cause.
First: You should never stop moving traffic.
Stopping in moving traffic impedes the flow of traffic. Yes, you are supposed to keep intersections clear during traffic. Washington State law states in RCW 46.61.202:…