When you're driving, do you wave to anyone driving the same car as you?
Well, it's not really a wave. You just extended the fingers of the hand closest to the driver's side window in a cool and deliberate manner. Maybe even lift it a little just to make sure the movement is seen. But, heaven forbid, you don't move it back and forth!
It's an interesting phenomena as only drivers of certain brands and models do it. It pretty much defines what an enthusiast car is. If you drive a common, mass market car, there's no waving. The car has to be a bit special for a fraternity to spring up. I expect it's mostly those driving sports cars but Mini's and VW Beetles (the originals) certainly had their own fraternity.
So leave a comment and let's see whether we can uncover these secret car clubs. For example, I'm pretty sure that people who drive Mercedes never acknowledge each other. Period. Or am I wrong? Drivers of Subura Imprezzas almost always wave to each other (that was my last car). As for Porsche, the rule seems to be that you only wave to someone driving the same model as you. Driving a 993, you only wave to fellow 993 drivers. On a rare occasion, you might get cross-model waves but I'm sure Boxster drivers and 911 drivers don't acknowledge each other.
I suspect the older the car, the higher the percent of waving occurs as you meet fellow drivers less often. When it's old, it doesn't even have to be a sports car. But how old does the car have to be before waving starts? Do drivers of fellow bangers wave to each other? I doubt BMW driver's wave to each other until you get to some of their classic models.
So, if you do wave to fellow drivers (and they return it!), post a comment and tell me what you drive.
Hi.I have a 11 year old Vauxhall Cavalier with only 118,000 miles on the clock and we don't so much wave to each other,but we give each other wistful looks as if to say,"I wish I could afford something better but I'm completely skint"..........
ReplyDeleteGreat web-site.............Steve.
We Mercedes drivers do acknowledge each other, but we do it telepathically :-)
ReplyDeleteWe used to drive a Citroen 2CV. Now there's a community that definitely does wave. Second only to VW Beetles I reckon.
I drove my dads VW camper around for a few years and waving was done at every opportunity. Having a van when young certainly has some finer points - like being able to fit 14 people in after a wedding in order to go to the beach, but you do have to avoid Multi Storey car parks, expecially those that have 6' signs that you miss. Let's say it was a little windy on the way home one night as the skylight had mysteriously vanished. :-)
ReplyDeleteHow it all began
ReplyDeleteMotoring had started in earnest in the early days of the 20th. Century. It was natural for car owners to form themselves into clubs, and there were good reasons. The condition of the road was abysmal and only by some form of united pressure could motorists hope for improvement.
The main reason behind the formation of these early organizations was to make a stand against the antagonism shown to motorists by the public at large, the legislators and by the Police whose attitude was nothing short of outright hostility.
This was particularly true in Great Britain, because in 1895, the Locomotives on Highways Act restricted mechanically propelled vehicles to a maximum speed of six kilometers (about 5 mph) per hour on country roads and three kilometers (about 4 mph) per hour in built-up areas .
Car badges were introduced by the Automobile Association in March, 1906 to identify members and warn them of police speed traps up ahead. If the road was clear of police, the AA man would salute the driver if his vehicle displayed an AA badge. The practice was discontinued in the late 1960s for safety reasons.
I drive a modified <a href="http://www.girlsnmotors.co.uk/feature/mrskyline.html">Nissan Skyline</a> and I have to say when I pass another person driving a Skyline there is always a nod or a flash of headlights between the two drivers, whether that's me or the other half.
ReplyDeleteI think there's lots of cars that have a similar respect for each other, when driving the SmartNav mini (they're one of my customers) the amount of other mini drivers that honked me flashed me waved at me was amazing.
i'm just a grumpy old woman wondering why we wave at all. especially to people on trains and busses. wave wave
ReplyDelete