Is the “thank you” wave dead?
We might give a “thank you” wave when a driver pauses to allow us through a narrow street lined with parked cars, or when a motorist rightfully stops to let us walk across a slip lane.
The wave can also be employed when someone lets us merge, or when they hold back as we try to complete the most-feared of motoring manoeuvres, the reverse parallel park.
Empathy is a sign of a healthy society, and the “thank you” wave is all about empathy. It’s acknowledgement that a fellow road user has shown the sort of courtesy we like to show others.
Executed correctly, the four-finger wave can be carried out without even taking a hand off the steering wheel.
But is this small gesture of gratitude disappearing from our roads?