Non-US Dopers: Do You Have 4 Way Stops?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I get lots of German tourists here in the US and they all freak out whenever we come to a four-way stop - in other words, four stop signs (not lights!) at an intersection. They literally panic and don’t understand how I, and the other possible three drivers, know when to go and when to stop, and who goes first and who goes last.

They claim nobody in Germany would ever figure it out; that all four cars would fight to go through first and chaos would ensue.

I had forgotten that there were no four way stops in Germany, or at least none that I nor any of my German friends had ever seen there.

Do they have intersections with just four stop signs in other countries, or is this a US thing?

2

I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in NZ (where I got my licence), but there’s definately a 4 way intersection I know with 2 stops and 2 give ways. I suppose it’s possible that there is one somewhere - I think the rule is to give way to the car coming from the right, and generally the car that gets there first would have right of way. Terribly unlikely for 4 cars to get there all at the same time. Normally at the intersection that I mentioned above, people either know exactly what to do, or hestiate for a little until someone eventually goes.

3

double-post, the second one had more info.

4

CanaDoper checking in here, and we have more than our share of 4-way stops.
For that matter, if a set of traffic lights is out, that intersection is treated as a 4-way stop. You just pay attention to what order you arrive at the stop line; if a car got to their stop line before you got to yours, they go first. If you got to your stop line before the other guy got to his, you go first.

S^G

5

According to Wiki, they exist only in the US, Canada, and South Africa.

As for me (I’m German), I read a three-page guide for tourist drivers and was good to go. From what I recall, there aren’t that many 4-way stops in California anyway.

6

I’ve never seen one in Thailand. Can’t think of ever having seen one outside of the US. (I’ve not been to Canada or South Africa.)

7

Never seen one in Norway, in fact stop signs in general are fairly rare here. Instead, we have a metric buttload of traffic circles.

8

Huh? They’re all over the place in California. Typically the stop signs will have the words “All Ways” underneath to indicate it’s a “four-way” stop.

9

There aren’t any in Azerbaijan. Mind you, there aren’t many other sort of signs either.

10

I’ve seen one four-way stop in NZ: the intersection of Cuba St & Abel Smith St, Wellington. I believe the official rules for such an intersection are:[ul]
[li]turning traffic always gives way to traffic driving straight through[/li][*]in all other cases (turning vs turning, straight vs straight), vehicles must give way to other vehicles crossing from the right[/ul]In practice, even those people who remember those rules can’t trust other drivers to remember them, so when more than a few cars show up (not that uncommon for that intersection during rush hour) there is often confusion.

11

I’d never seen one before moving to the US five years ago. I still hate them and would love to see them all replaced with roundabouts

12

Ugh. I dislike 4-way stops because they require me to pay closer attention than I would have to pay at a light. My attention while I’m stopped is better spent looking around for birds or cute girls, damnit.

13

That’s the one I was thinking of - it’s been a few years since I was there, so forgot it was stop in all drections.

14

I never heard of such a thing, and I wouldn’t have the slightest clue about what I’m expected to do at such a crossing. Everybody waits forever, maybe?

15

Exactly the same. Never seen one in India, or the UK, or driving across France and Germany. In India the official rule is “Give way to traffic on your right” but it’s rarely followed and is more a case of people muscling through willy-nilly. The UK, of course, has more roundabouts than they know what to do with, or else sensible traffic lights at intersections.

I’d just sit at my stop sign, quaking with fear in case I broke some law, until the person behind me became murderous and punted my car through the intersection with her 18-wheeler.

What do you mean you don’t all drive 18-wheelers? I’ve SEEN it, I tell you!

16

I haven’t seen one in Australia. I suspect they’d normally use a roundabout instead.

17

No, we have a few in Sweden. I don’t drive myself, but I remember some hoopla about them, that they’re difficult to handle and so forth. I could ask about it if it’s interesting.

18

I’m just going to go ahead and say that this is the most surprising thing I’ve read all week.

What does everyone else have instead? Is it all roundabouts? Even in tiny little towns?

19

Yep. Roundabouts almost everywhere, although there are four-way traffic lights at some intersections. Mini-roundabouts where space is tight (basically a white circle painted in the middle of the intersection).
The only time I have encountered a four-way stop situation in Britain is when traffic lights have failed. A sort of awkward dance ensues, with drivers both trying to remember the rules and hoping that everybody else is following the same rules.

20

None in the UAE. People have enough trouble stopping with lights. Quite a few in Nevada but it never seems to be a problem. In Nevada they are starting to build roundabouts which many Americans can’t seem to deal with.