4-way stops: just go when it's your $%!@ turn!

[johnjohn320]

Four-way stops are not all that complicated. You go in the order you arrived. If two cars arrive simultaneously, the car on the right has the priority. That's it--all there is to it. So I am completely baffled at how often I pull up to a 4-way stop intersection, see another car who *clearly* arrived long before I did, then who sits there and looks around, then waves me through.

If you're one of these people, please stop. You're not being polite by waving someone else through when it's obviously your turn to go. You're only stopping up traffic, creating momentary frustration and confusion, because you weren't paying attention and have no idea that it's your turn (or don't "trust" the other cars to wait for theirs).

[/weak rant]

 

[clamum]

Agreed 100%.

 

[her209]

At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

who cares? you pull over and watch the collision and/or fight!

 

[mugs]

Yes, this is one of my bigger pet peeves when driving.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/fourway.asp

 

[MazerRackham]

I completely agree. It's a trend that is getting worse (as people have lost all ability to drive at all), and it needs to stop.

I also find that with all the controlled left-turn lanes these days, that when people come to an uncontrolled left (a yield for them), they go anyway, especially when the oncoming traffic to them is making right turns. It's terrible.

 

[mpitts]

I get more upset when someone sits there until I stop to go. It's not like I am going to ram into them. JUST GO!

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: mpitts
I get more upset when someone sits there until I stop to go. It's not like I am going to ram into them. JUST GO!

yeah. until that one idiot decides to blow a stop sign and they get in a wreck.

i will wait until the car comes to a stop. if it pisses them off ohwell.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
I completely agree. It's a trend that is getting worse (as people have lost all ability to drive at all), and it needs to stop.

I also find that with all the controlled left-turn lanes these days, that when people come to an uncontrolled left (a yield for them), they go anyway, especially when the oncoming traffic to them is making right turns. It's terrible.

Or when they do have a turn arrow, but the turn arrow goes away, they just keep going but stay close together so the oncoming traffic doesn't have an opening to start going. But that's an issue of people being assholes, not people being too polite.

What people don't understand is that if everyone did what they were SUPPOSED to do, then everyone else could act based on how they know everyone else is going to drive, and things would flow more smoothly. When you try to be nice and do something out of the ordinary you make everything unpredictable and everyone else has to wait and see what everyone else is going to do.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: mpitts
I get more upset when someone sits there until I stop to go. It's not like I am going to ram into them. JUST GO!

yeah. until that one idiot decides to blow a stop sign and they get in a wreck.

i will wait until the car comes to a stop. if it pisses them off ohwell.

When someone is approaching on a cross street (regardless of whether I have a stop sign), I always watch their face. If I see them look at my car, then I know they know I'm there and I act accordingly. Otherwise I assume they don't know I'm there. This is more applicable if we're both approaching the intersection at the same time, because if I'm already sitting there they can see me in their peripheral vision - then I just watch to make sure they're at least slowing down.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Well, if you live in rude ghetto town where no one gives a flying fvck about traffic courtesy, people will insist their right of way. Thus even if I would've been 3rd, I wouldn't mind going 4th. And if I was 1st, sometimes I might be 2nd. Who cares. As long as I'm not watching #1 and #2 wait it out when I'm #3.... and since everyone is so aggressive, it never happens =)

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

Federal>state

postal truck is more important than ambulance, fire, and police. Though of course the postal driver would probably pull over if an ambulance was behind it. It doesn't have to however.

 

[StageLeft]

Agreed. I saw this car yesterday pull up about 8 seconds before me and sit there. I came to a complete stop and was about to go (their lack of brains won't slow me down), but they went just before, so my wheels never unlocked and yet I still got a look from the passenger in that car like she was scared about the entire thing. No f**king clue what their problem was.

 

[OdiN]

What I hate is that coming up to a 4-way stop...there is a car that is there but sits there until you are completely stopped, then goes, instead of just going since it's his turn and it's really obvious that I'm stopping.

 

[Oceandevi]

Originally posted by: OdiN
What I hate is that coming up to a 4-way stop...there is a car that is there but sits there until you are completely stopped, then goes, instead of just going since it's his turn and it's really obvious that I'm stopping.

I have been surprised by way to many kids and assholes who haul ass to the sign tap the brakes and run through, or decide that since you are stopping they have plenty of time to go first.

I freaking stop all the way, look at every car, and then go. Better safe than sorry, if you care about the few seconds wasted.. eat me.

 

[preslove]

I was taught that simultaneous arrivals = right of way for the driver on the left.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: OdiN
What I hate is that coming up to a 4-way stop...there is a car that is there but sits there until you are completely stopped, then goes, instead of just going since it's his turn and it's really obvious that I'm stopping.

I have been surprised by way to many kids and assholes who haul ass to the sign tap the brakes and run through, or decide that since you are stopping they have plenty of time to go first.

I freaking stop all the way, look at every car, and then go. Better safe than sorry, if you care about the few seconds wasted.. eat me.

exactly. i have had one to many close calls from idiots.

 

[randomlinh]

and then there's the flip side... I start going because I clearly make eye contact to make sure you're actually slowing down... but you decide not to and nearly take out my front end.

You know what's even worse? people who stop IN a traffic circle... you have the f'in right of way, GO... ugh... and.. follow the damn lines... the outside loop of a traffic circle usually isn't designed to go full circle.. idiots.

 

[rh71]

Have to agree that the "polite" people should really stop doing it. We don't drive through thinking, awww, how awesome is he... does he have a hot sister ?!

Anyway, you can't expect everyone on the road to know the rules... I mean... how easy is it to get a license...

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Praxis1452

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

Federal>state

postal truck is more important than ambulance, fire, and police. Though of course the postal driver would probably pull over if an ambulance was behind it. It doesn't have to however.

:thumbsdown:

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: Praxis1452

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

Federal>state

postal truck is more important than ambulance, fire, and police. Though of course the postal driver would probably pull over if an ambulance was behind it. It doesn't have to however.

:thumbsdown:

The funny part is that Mugs already posted a snopes link disproving this little bit of idiocy.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
and then there's the flip side... I start going because I clearly make eye contact to make sure you're actually slowing down... but you decide not to and nearly take out my front end.

You know what's even worse? people who stop IN a traffic circle... you have the f'in right of way, GO... ugh... and.. follow the damn lines... the outside loop of a traffic circle usually isn't designed to go full circle.. idiots.

Oooh, you've hit on one of my other pet peeves - people who don't think ahead and get in the lane they need to be in. Usually people get in whichever lane has the shortest line at a light, but then they go through the light and have to be in the other lane, so they ah heck up the whole works.

There is a traffic circle near where I live (Somerville, NJ). Because of the disparity in prominence of the roads feeding into the circle, the normal rules don't really apply. There is a yield sign ON the circle at one point so that people on the circle have to wait for people entering the circle off a major road. There is an overpass so people who are staying on that major road don't have to go through the circle, and their entrance to the circle is controlled by a light. Every lane in the circle is clearly marked with lines and arrows to indicate which way you can go. At some points, BOTH lanes may exit the circle and thus only one can continue around. At other points, both lanes may continue around the circle and thus only one can exit. It sounds complicated, but once you've gone through it once it's actually pretty simple. And yet it never fails that every time I enter the circle from a particular entrance, there is someone who tries to cross over the inner exit+continue lane and continue around the circle from their outer exit only lane. And the strange part is, the lane that joins the inner exit+continue lane from that entrance is ALWAYS shorter and moves faster. I have never seen it be the other way around. I always get in that lane, partly because it's shorter and goes where I want to go, and partly because I feel it is my duty to educate bad drivers with copious use of profanity and my horn. And I take great pleasure in doing so.

I think a diagram is required here.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: Praxis1452

Originally posted by: her209
At the intersection of Main Street and Oak Lane, four vehicles approach. A fire truck comes from the south, a police car from the west, an ambulance from the north, and a federal mail truck from the east. Which car has the right of way? Assume all cars which have sirens have them on.

Federal>state

postal truck is more important than ambulance, fire, and police. Though of course the postal driver would probably pull over if an ambulance was behind it. It doesn't have to however.

:thumbsdown:

snopwned

 

[mpitts]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: mpitts
I get more upset when someone sits there until I stop to go. It's not like I am going to ram into them. JUST GO!

yeah. until that one idiot decides to blow a stop sign and they get in a wreck.

i will wait until the car comes to a stop. if it pisses them off ohwell.

Even if it is abundanty clear that the other person is stopping?