at the mall if there is no oncoming traffic? Why would you? It’s private property and a cop can’t site you, who would you be stopping for? However,you wouldn’t want to be involved in an accident running one of these signs because the cop would then write for running a traffic control device. He’s just not otherwise going to come in off the street to write you on private property.
Phu Cat
Reflex mostly. It’s a stop sign, so I stop.
Ditto. I don’t ever want to roll through a stop sign, if I do it sometimes I might do it when it counts.
As an aside, allow me to share this photo I took of a stop sign at our local mall which had been vandalized last summer.
If nothing and no one is crossing in front of me? No.
Did it once when it counted. Cost me $270 at a time when that was a fortune to me. Won’t do it again.
I have made it a point to pay attention whether people actually come to a full stop at stop signs. Nobody does, unless they have to yield to cross traffic. The reason is that it is not necessary as long as you can see and because a full stop requires dealing with eliminating the jerk associated with a full stop.
I hate the painted stop markers (on the pavement) in my local shopping center. I drive through those if no cars are approaching.
I at least do a rolling stop at real stop signs in shopping centers. Basically stop for a second and keep going. But, that’s only in shopping center parking lots.
That is awesome.
I didn’t for the longest time.
I once viewed stop signs and red lights as good suggestions, but unless there
was a compelling reason to completely stop or wait for the light to turn green-
why would I allow my judgement to be subservient to the observations of some
faceless traffic engineer-who’s obviously received kickbacks from the red light, and
traffic sign manufacturing industries- given the overabundant and inane
positioning of those devices.
Why the hell would I do that?*
Why?*
Policemen and Policewoman*… in my area they were more abundant than
racist signs at a Tea Party convention. Dedicated officers that I knew were buying
and maintaining blue water boats with all the money I fed into their coffers.
Eventually, I decided to drive as if there were a law enforcement officer following
me around all the time.
But after awhile I had to acknowledge that there was no policeman following me
around behind my car…
that policeman had taken up residence in my head.
Sorta.
Yes. Because I only encounter them at Kohls when I’m cutting through to get to the McDonalds, and a cop is almost always sitting there. The cop is there for shoplifters (Kohls prosecutes), but I’m paranoid anyway. If the cop isn’t there, it’s just residual programming that makes me stop.
I stop. I’m usually early, I’m not in any hurry, and it costs me nothing. So why bother not stopping?
My understanding is that traffic control devices like stop signs do not have force of law. However, if you were in an accident, the insurance company may still take such signs into account.
Anyway, I think that many stop signs could (and should) be replaced by yield signs. Both on private property and on public roads. I generally don’t drive that way, but I’d be interested if anyone can tell me I’m an idiot.
I do a rolling stop at stop signs if there’s no one else at the intersection. Complete stop if there’s another car already there or if there are any pedestrians. All other situations are taken on a case-by-case basis.
I don’t believe this is true (and not just because you mean “cite” rather than “site”). In Michigan a property owner can request the police to enforce signs on private property. In Wisconsin and Alaska parking lots open to the public are considered roadways so stop signs could be enforced. I suspect that is true in other states as well.
Check your state laws. Traffic laws can be enforceable in places like parking lots if they’re accessible to the public even if the land is privately owned.
Well, I meant to write “do not have force of law on private property.”
Only if I have to. The same for all traffic laws.
This is the law in California. But I have a question about that: On whose authority are stop signs placed in private parking lots? Out in the streets, stop signs are placed by the municipal authority, presumably on the advice of traffic engineers.
But in private parking lots? Do the owners put stops signs wherever they want at their whim? If so, then I feel that the police are enforcing some private land-owner’s private laws on his private property. That seems wrong to me. OTOH, if the municipal traffic engineers dictate to the property owner where he must put stop signs, then it makes sense for them to be enforceable. But I doubt that is what happens.
