Why South Dakota Drivers Give Each Other a Little Wave

There are few things more "Midwestern" than waving at someone from behind the wheel, even when you're not entirely sure who they are.

You might be driving through a small town, passing someone on a gravel road or maybe even heading down a quiet side street in Sioux Falls. Someone lifts a hand or finger from the steering wheel, and you automatically wave back.

Then you spend the next few seconds trying to figure out whether you know that person. Was it a neighbor? Someone from high school? The guy who fixed your furnace? Or just another person who understands the unspoken rules of Midwest driving?

At this point, it doesn't really matter. The wave has already happened.

There's also a difference between the waves. A quick finger lift from the steering wheel usually means, “Hey, I acknowledge your existence.” A full hand wave is more personal. That one might mean you actually know the person, or they think they know you.

And if someone waves while you're driving past a farm, you better wave back. That's not a suggestion, it's part of the country lifestyle deal.

The funny thing is that nobody teaches us this. There isn't a class on rural etiquette or a section in the driver's handbook explaining when to lift your fingers off the wheel. We just pick it up.

Maybe it's because South Dakota has plenty of wide-open roads and small communities where people still recognize one another. Or maybe it's just a simple way of saying, “We're both out here dealing with the same weather and road construction.”

Either way, the wave is small, but it says a lot.

And if you don't wave back, there's a good chance you'll spend the next mile wondering if you just failed a very important local test.