Add to this; a four way stop sign is a FOUR WAY stop. This does not mean you get to go through when the car coming in the opposite direction is going through. You have to wait for the car on his left, your right, to go. It isn’t an ark, it’s not a two-by-two intersection.
If you don’t obey the rules, I will simply shout obscenities out the window at you. I don’t have the time or energy to worry about scoring style points. I will call you an asshole and be done with it.
whatever, i did not read any of that … just wanted to say that i do not stop, on stop signs unless i see cops. i just slow down a bit depending on how far i can see behind the corner. and if there are already cars on an all-way intersection when i get there - i quickly assess their eagerness to go first and if i sense hesitation, i just go first myself, i do not really care to know who has the RIGHT to go first
Also, when a traffic light turns red, there is no 3 second rule that allows you to run it anyway. The other light has turned green and cars have started to move. I no one person who recently had his car clipped because of some asswipe trying this. I try to look and start out slowly just in case, but if I forget, I do not want to be hit.
vasyachkin, I’ll be watching for you. Be forewarned, I’m in that middle part of life where I can afford to drive a big, heavy, fast car with all the airbags and insurance I need. I almost got one of your bretheren yesterday, but he had the good sense to chicken out.
The four-way-stop can, if used properly, be the most effecient of traffic control devices. If used improperly, it can be the most dangerous.
My two largest beefs with driving are people who break the laws regarding the 4-way stop sign and people who break the laws regarding the left-hand turn signal.
In the North Dakota Rules of the Road Handbook, here are the states rules regarding a 4-way stop:
note: this handbook is not the lawook in my state, rather a study guide for those with upcoming driving tests
These are the rules in North Dakota. I think they should be changed to the rotational policy that was mentioned earlier in the thread. No one can seem to comprehend chronological order…would it be too much to ask them to learn right from left?
When a person arrives at a 4-way stop, he should be very alert. It is important in states where order takes precedence to know exactly when you arrive at the stop sign. I always know when I come to my complete stop which cars are already stopped. It buggs me when someone goes out of turn because that means the effeciency of the traffic device has been disrupted. Yes, it can be difficult when there are four lanes coming from each direction, but my method is to count the stopped cars. Then I count the cars as they go. If there is a pause (meaning someone is unsure) before I reach my count, I inch forward and look for someone else to go. If no one else claims the right of way, I’ll take it.
Furthermore, at less cogested 4-way stops, I’ll use hand signals to try to expedite the intersection more effeciently. If I am coming to a 4-way stop at the same time as someone on my right, I will always wave him/her through even if it appears that I may stop a split second soomer. If I am on the right and it appears as if the other driver is going to stop a split second sooner, I will sometimes wave him through letting him know that I am waiving the right of way. I do this only in situations where it is unclear who has the acual right of way because I wish to avoid driving confrontations. I do not use hand signals in any circumstance where another driver may mistake them.
I also use hand signals for pedestrians. In my book, a pedestrian always has the right of way.
I’m fully aware that this approach to four-way stops is not in accordance the laws of California (or any state that I’m aware of), but I think it works pretty well in practice.
Without having done any kind of scientific study, it’s my belief that this criminal behavior nearly doubles throughput in crowded conditions, without any serious downsides (save its illegality - just how big of a downside this is would be a matter of opinion). It’s the de facto standard approach here in SoCal. I’ve got no beef with it.
I agree, brad. If I’m at a 4-way stop, and the car opposite me is going straight or turning right, then I’m going when he is. Why make the people on the cross-street wait twice for the two of us to clear the intersection, when once is all that’s needed?
Also, remember that people who are turning right have the right of way, all other things being equal, over people going straight, at least in my state. This means that if the person across from you is going straight and you decide to go, you might hit the person on your right who is also turning right. Sometimes it’s hard to see the right hand turn signal of a vehicle on your right, but you’d still be at fault.
By the way, the law says “RIGHT TURN ON RED AFTER STOP.” Not, “right turn on red after you blow off the light and coast around the corner, running over the toes of the person about to cross in the pedestrian lain, who, by the way, has the right of way before you, thank you very much, you tiny penised asshair clump.”
I’ll never understand why, in a pit thread about bad driving habits, someone immediately comes in with a holier-than-thou attitude, proclaiming proudly that he/she does this exact thing, thank you very much.
Aughh, NYC drivers. This is why I avoid the whole city…
believe me, i am not even close to the worst driver out there. if you want to see the worst driving go to flatbush avenue ( black neighborhood in brooklyn where the cops will not venture most of time ). i only drove once on that street and i saw stuff like some lady backing up about a hundred feet ( to a parking space ) and using the oncoming traffic lane to steer around cars in heavy traffic. nobody honks though, and nobody cuts each other off … apparently you get shot for those things.
