Are there ways in which you control the movements of drivers around you?

I’ve mentioned before most of the residential streets around here have no stop sign or yield sign. It’s just a free for all. I have to keep my eyes open for people who think they they have the right of way at all times and just kamikaze through intersections without even looking.

I’ve also mentioned how annoying I find it when I stop to allow a car to go on past….but then they stop too, so I start to go and they start to go at the same time, and then this stupid game commences. It’s such a waste of time.

However, I have found that if I stop and then studiously look away from the oncoming car, presenting only the back of my head to them….they don’t stop or even slow down!

That is so counter intuitive to me, but it works 95% of the time.

Any idea why this is? Why don’t they assume that I have no idea that they’re even there and I might take off at any second without looking?