Do people in rural areas in your country wave to each other while driving?

16 comments

1. No. But car culture is not even half as big here as in the us. I always greet the bus driver though.

2. Not really…or at least I don’t do that, unless of course I know the driver. I do thank people when they let me pass a tight spot and stuff.

3. No, even in remote areas (by Swiss standards) I have never seen this happening.

   The only times drivers do a little wave at each other is when someone makes room for the other to drive through for example.

4. Yes, in fact *anywhere* rural or not, if another car gives way to you (even if it’s your right of way) it’s considered good manners to acknowledge with a small wave or as you say lifting a finger off the wheel, sadly it seems a growing number of people are too ignorant to do it

5. I raise my hand as a way of thank you if people give me right of way when I don’t have it. Mostly on the bike (if people are letting me cross on a busy road for example, I have a couple of these on my route). But also for things like when driving if there’s an obstacles or one of those permanent obstacles to narrow the road and people let you through even if they were first/already waiting as well as if you arrive at the same time.

   Basically, I acknowledge when drivers (bike or car) are nice to me when they are under no legal obligation to do so. Not everybody does it, including in the moderate size town where I live. I didn’t for a long time but started again when I started biking more and now it’s more automatic so I do it in the car as well

6. If we know each other? I usually do it to people I know or if I meet someone in my neighbourhood

7. If it’s a narrow road where someone has to stop for the oncoming traffic to pass, it is polite to wave to the person who stopped as a thank you (and wave back to acknowledge) but I notice that it is something that has become less common in the last few years.

8. Not just in rural places. After everything I’ve seen, I wouldn’t be surprised to see people stop in the middle of the highway, holding up traffic, to have a quick chat.

9. Well if you recognise the person (or think you do), sure. Not strangers, unless you want to thank them or something. Size of the wave varies, some people raise their hand, others do the finger thing.

10. It’s mainly used on narrow roads ((which tend to be more common in rural areas). As others have said, it is a thank you for giving the right of way. But usually, it’s both drivers that are either raising a finger or the whole hand, and not really waving.

11. My home town is small enough that a lot of people will recognise each other. Due to this most people do the finger wave even if we don’t know each other, just on the off chance that we do lol. So if you’re slow or close enough to see, a lot of people do here.

    As others have said, at crossings, exits and similar if someone gives you right of way or even if it’s your right of way, it’s standard practice to give them a thank you wave.

12. By default, no. In Hungary, people usually finger wave

    * as a thank you when being given the right of way.
    * when friends, relatives etc. recognise each other.
    * when they belong to a certain “group”, for example bus drivers or motorcyclists tend to wave at each other.

13. No not for without a reason. Never driven in real rural places which we have so this applies to general not in the city areas. Motorcyclist wave at each others though.

14. Yes, people here wave when passing another car. It wouldn’t happen in the cities but it’s the done thing in rural areas.

15. It doesn’t happen when in my car..but when I’m in the truck, people will usually wave.

    Also tractor to tractor, they do wave. Even in the rare occasion they did not know each other.

16. I noticed people in Ireland honk at each other sometimes which is very annoying.

    Last time i was at a cross walk with some guy and a van drove past and honked so loud it startled me even though I was wearing earbuds.