Your problem is that you’re in Oregon. Ever since I moved here I’m AMAZED at how bad people are about driving rules here.
4 way stops don’t make sense to anyone here. First to stop, first to go. If two, right has right of way, or eye contact and slow inching forward will figure it out.
Also, I was talking to some natives who had NO CLUE that you were supposed to use your turn signal when merging into traffic from an on ramp. Seriously. “Did you know you can get a ticket for that?”
Yet, the Oregon driver’s test was REALLY hard. Huh.
The way 2 cars arriving at a 4 way stop is actually handled in Oregon is that the driver of the green Subaru Outback tries to wave the brown Subaru Outback through the intersection, ceding her right of way. The brown Outback driver will have none of this and waves the green one through. Just being polite you know.
This goes back and forth until traffic is backed up behind both cars and then both drivers decide to accept the generous offer of the other, so they pull into the intersection at the same time and run into each other.
I’m sorry, really realy sory. I stabed myselff with a pencli on the arm several times and stranglsd myself and bit myself, I didnt mean to be a bda preson. Is there anythngi esle i should do to make up fro t?i I could run inot a ligjt pole next time i drive on a road noone else is on fi it would ghelp, it wold also make sure i don’t edrive for a long time.
I’m really sorry for beng such a terribe; person. I didn’t meant o.
AGREED- Please take your turn according to the rules. It is more polite to follow the rule than to ask people to deviate from the rule in the name of being nice, IMHO.
I’ll admit I’m tired and visualizing directions has never been my strong suit, but…if there are 4 cars, one at each stop sign, is it possible from three people’s prespective that there is one person who is on their right? It seems to me that people who are directly across from each other are not going to have the same car be the one “on their right.” And if everyone is to yield to the person on their right, won’t that mean no one goes?
Fortunately, I can think of only one four-way stop that is ever busy enough for 3 or more cars arriving at the same time. Usually people going straight both go, and the one(s) turning wait.
Replying before reading:
All cars must come to a complete halt.
Cars can then proceed, using the ‘give way to your right’ rule.
I’m guessing it’s not too common that all four roads have cars approaching them at exactly the same time, so I’m guessing it operates more like a roundabout, except with a complete halt to begin with.
That’s really annoying. If you’re supposed to go, and the other driver knows you’re supposed to go, then they are waiting for you to go. If you don’t, they wonder if they are supposed to go and start pulling out. What if you decide to go then? (I know YOU won’t, but it’s an uncertain situation in the other drivers’ eyes.)
I always find myself thinking in those situations (where the other driver doesn’t go when they are supposed to) “Come ON, don’t you KNOW the rules of the road for four way stops? Get off the road!” or that they are a very timid driver.
If I am going straight, and the car on my right arrives at the same time and is turning right, he goes first, not me. I may not even know he’s turning.
See above.
Follow the traffic laws as written, instead of making them up yourself.
You yield to the driver on your right if you and they stop at the 4-way sign simultaneously. You treat it like a normal stop sign if you’re the only driver at the intersection.
If a 4-way intersection normally controlled by traffic lights has the lights go completely out, the intersection is to be treated as a 4-way stop.
The trick with 4-way stops is not cars but pedestrians and bicycles, also semi trucks and turning vehicles. When they get involved, sometimes the first auto on the scene has to yield to them and the next autos have a clear path so they can go. The first, blocked, driver will get absurdly insensed that he is not able to enforce his dominance, honking madly and perhaps chasing or ramming or shooting at the second and third car. The fourth car will be quickly backing away from the scene.
Don’t beat yourself up too badly, Jragon. From the tens of thousands of deaths and injuries on North American roads every year, you are a typical driver. Unfortunately.
Everybody stops when they initially arrive at the intersection.
After stopping, cars proceed through the intersection in the same order in which they arrived.
If two cars traveling in perpendicular directions arrive at the intersection at precisely the same moment, either the one on the right has the right-of-way, or the one on the left has the right-of-way. (I can never remember which, so I try to time my arrival so that I avoid this situation entirely.)
I have to go through a 4 way stop on my way to and from work every day. My strategy for dealing with it is to get to the intersection and try to figure out how everyone else thinks it is suppose to work, then try and fit in. Trying to do it the “right” way is almost guaranteed to cause an accident, because on most days you’ll be the only one doing it that way.
The basic strategies seem to be:
Clockwise
Counterclockwise
North-south, followed by east-west, then north-south, etc.
You go in the order you got to the intersection
If I think I won’t die, I’m going for it! Order? We don’t need no steenkin order!
On more than one occasion, I’ve had the basic pattern change while I was sitting there waiting for my turn.
It just makes you shake your head and wonder how these people managed to get their license.