I guess I’m getting old and grouchy. Or maybe I’m not old, but just plain persnickety. Whatever it is, I seem to be the only one around bothered by people who run stop signs. Sure, there are letters to the editor in my paper about stop sign runners or people who apply their brakes ever so slightly when approaching a signed intersection. But who’s going to do anything about it?
Most of the major intersections in my area are controlled, which is good. We used to be an area of 4-way stops and there was always someone who wouldn’t yield the right of way. Frustrating, but what can you do? It’s actually pretty fun to watch anxiety levels rise by coming to a complete, wheels-don’t-turn stop at a 4-way stop. Try it sometime. 😉 I never realized that I wasn’t stopping at stop signs before until my local Safe Kids coalition did an observational survey at an intersection a few years back. Out of several hundred vehicles observed, something like only 3 actually came to a full and complete stop at the stop sign. I was shocked and immediately on the drive home paid attention to my driving habits. Sure enough, I wasn’t stopping my wheels either when I thought I was. Now when I see a stop sign or a red light when I’m turning right, I come to a complete stop, much to the chagrin of the driver behind me (sorry, dude, it’s the law and I’m gonna stop).
I’m still amazed by the drivers who don’t even slow down at a stop sign or red light when they turn right. It’s like it’s not even there; the world revolves around them and everyone else should yield to them, right? What the heck? The thing is the number of drivers who do this. If I only saw it happening once a week, I’d write it off as the person was distracted (um, who hasn’t been?), but it’s often several times a day. This kind of driving, plus all the drunk and otherwise impaired drivers on the road, plus the drivers going 80 mph in a 45 mph zone make me feel like a moving target who will one day run out of luck.
California Stops are famous around here. It’s just a joke, everyone jokes about doing them.
Pulling over for emergency vehicles is another thing that people are weird about here. Frankly, I don’t think they hear the sirens, because when they do notice them, they do seem to pull over. I always drive with the radio on–either music or talk–and sometimes I don’t hear the sirens until they’re right on top of me. But I see them first in my mirrors, so I’ve pulled over (and nearly been run down in the process :/).
I was just thinking that I don’t recall seeing many cases of people not stopping fully for stop signs. Then I realized it’s because the routes I usually travel are mostly controlled with *signal lights* and there just aren’t that many stop signs for people to ignore.
Now, if you want to get me started on poor safety etiquette, it’d be the number of cars here who DON’T pull over to the right when an emergency vehicle heads down our main crosstown 2-lane road with lights flashing and siren wailing >:-(
I was talking today with my classmates about the “California Rolling Stop.” Yep, we all see it, all the time…
I’m surprised I haven’t been rear-ended. I feel like putting a bumper sticker on the back of the van that says “I stop at red lights and stop signs” but dh doesn’t adhere to the driving rules to which I hold myself ;). It’s also really hard to keep one eye on the road ahead and one eye on the rear view mirror to make sure the bozo behind is slowing down enough.
Like most drivers, I’m probably guilty of not stopping all the way. But in my defense, I come close to a full stop most times. People around here seem to think a stop sign means slow down to 10 mph and look around quickly before hitting the gas again. Oh, and I can totally relate to feeling like a moving target. I always think it’s only a matter of time before my luck runs out and some idiot hits me.
Yup, I’ve been rear-ended a few times because I stopped at a stop sign. Luckily no major damage (to my car). It’s amazing how much damage a trailer hitch can do to a front bumper though. 😛
Heehee. When the put the all way stop by the post office by us, they posted a cop on the corner. Then they put him a bit away. Most people actually stop for it. Also, they just paved a trail by us, and so it has a lot of foot/bicycle traffic now. There is a nice crosswalk with the sign in the middle to yeild to pedestrians. This spot happens to be diagonal to the Police dept. So there I am, complete with triple stroller waiting to cross, the guy on the opposite side of the street stops, this side someone goes around a person turning and ignores me. I waited, next person stopped, I crossed. I start walking, turn around, and apparently the person who didn’t stop got pulled over:) But, when going down the side streets around here, most are all way stops, and very few people really stop. In too much of a hurry.