Rural Driving Wave

When I was growing up in rural North Missouri, it was pretty standard procedure to drive with one hand on the top of the steering wheel when you were on the highway, so you could ‘wave’ at oncoming drivers. It didn’t matter whether you knew them or not, you ‘waved’ at everyone. Now, when I say ‘wave’, this was no full-on, whole hand, beauty queen-style wave. No, there was a very particular way to do it, and if you didn’t execute it correctly, people could tell you were from out of town (and nobody wants people to think that). There were many things to know about this wave, none of which was, or has ever been, outlined in official guidelines, to my knowledge. However, in the event that you ever find yourself driving through a rural environ, I’d like to provide you with a few of the finer points of the Rural Driving Wave.

First, you need to initiate the wave when you’re at just the right distance from the other driver, to give them enough time to see your wave and respond in kind. This precaution in taken because there are some people who only wave back – those are usually people who don’t have much initiative, in waving, and just in general. Second thing to be aware of is that you need two kinds of waves – one for people you know, and one for people you don’t know. When you wave at people you know, that’s the easy one: wrist on the steering wheel, with five fingers extended. Note: until you are experienced in this procedure, it is best not to actually move your hand in a waving motion. The proper rural waving motion has its own set of guidelines and should only be attempted by people who have years of practice. Now, the wave you give to people you don’t know is totally different and more difficult, because you can say a lot of things with this wave: Hi there fellow rural dweller, I don’t know who you are but I’d probably stop to help you if I saw your car broken down on the side of the road, I’m a cool/nice/bad-ass/fun/redneck/old/cranky/etc. person, I appreciate your awesome car … a wave is almost worth a thousand words. These types of waves are tough to pick up, because it’s almost like you’re speaking a new language. But to learn any language you need the basic ‘vocabulary’. So here is where I recommend you start. The heel of your hand, your thumb, and your pinky finger need to remain on the steering wheel for most beginner-style waves, allowing your other three fingers a range of motion. When the oncoming car is about 20 yards away, raise your index finger as far as it will comfortably go, then let your middle finger and ring finger naturally follow. It’s a skill, for sure, so don’t worry if you don’t get it just right the first few times you try.

I should probably warn you, though, that if you’re not driving a truck and wearing a baseball cap, the chances of folks waving back are slim. The Rural Driving Wave has seen a slump in its usage in recent years, so you could call it a dying art. But, I tell you, when you pass someone on the road who does wave back, you’ll feel like you just made a new friend. But, sometimes all it takes is a simple action to get a positive reaction and make someone’s day. Try it next time you’re in the country, I’m certain you’ll like it.