Driving Protips: Four-way Stop Edition

[xanis]

Why does everyone's IQ drop into single digits when they come up to a four-way stop? The one busy one in my town is basically a 24/7 game of vehicular chicken. I've lost count of the number of times that I've almost gotten demolished by Suburban Jane and her Land Cruiser because she can't figure out what to do when the number of stop signs goes above 1.

PROTIP: Four-way stops are your friend. Here's what you do when you come to one:

1) If you arrived to a stop sign first, you get to go first. If you arrive second, then you go second. You can (hopefully) do the rest of the math.

2) If you arrive at the same time as another person, yield to the right. It's the right thing to do.

This public service announcement brought to you by Xanis' Middle Finger and the Citizens Who Can Actually Drive Association.

 

[ISAslot]

sorry, i was too busy texting to notice who was first
*floors it*

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Sometimes I'm driving on autopilot and I'm completely absent-minded, and when I come to those stops I'm not sure about the order of people that stopped there.

 

[SandEagle]

i thought the one with the most expensive car went first?

 

[BUTCH1]

Nice rant and so true, I give it an 8.5 on the rant meter..

 

[dank69]

Sometimes I'm driving on autopilot and I'm completely absent-minded, and when I come to those stops I'm not sure about the order of people that stopped there.

This. There is no need to pay attention to your surroundings when driving. It's not like cars are dangerous or anything.

 

[xanis]

This. There is no need to pay attention to your surroundings when driving. It's not like cars are dangerous or anything.

You know, maybe I've been looking at this all wrong... maybe the soccer moms have it right: Buy a big SUV and then just drift off into la-la land once you get behind the wheel, because it won't matter if you plow into a small car. Genius!

 

[CRXican]

i thought the one with the most expensive car went first?

biggest

 

[MotF Bane]

biggest

Fastest.

 

[CZroe]

Better than when a bunch of idiots who treat a traffic circle/round-a-bout like a four-way stop and continue failing at four way stopping except now it's on a new level of fail because they are distracted by the "strange" circle.

 

[xanis]

Better than when a bunch of idiots who treat a traffic circle/round-a-bout like a four-way stop and continue failing at four way stopping except now it's on a new level of fail because they are distracted by the "strange" circle.

Oh Jesus, I forgot about those... I thankfully haven't had to drive through one of those circlefucks in a long time. It boggles my mind that the concept of yielding to the traffic in the circle is so hard for people to comprehend.

 

[CZroe]

Oh Jesus, I forgot about those... I thankfully haven't had to drive through one of those circlefucks in a long time.

When you do, yield to those in the circle and don't stop unless you have to in order to yield. Honk your horn if some idiot stops in front of you for no reason. That lets them know they're doing it wrong so they won't do it on the next commute.

 

[Cyco]

See...this is why America needs to change to round-abouts. I spent four years in England, and discovered just how inefficient and idiotic traffic lights and stop signs really are. Only problem is it would be next to impossible to get a good majority of American drivers to learn the concept.

 

[xanis]

See...this is why America needs to change to round-abouts. I spent four years in England, and discovered just how inefficient and idiotic traffic lights and stop signs really are. Only problem is it would be next to impossible to get a good majority of American drivers to learn the concept.

I got to experience European city traffic when I went to Italy this summer and my cousin drove us around. Like you said, they would fail horribly on a large scale here in America, but over there they work surprisingly well.

Driving over there is a completely different animal... I could share some good stories. 😀

 

[dank69]

They just changed the 5 way stop (!) down the street from my house into a rotary. We went from most people not knowing whose turn it is to go, to people already in the rotary stopping (!) at each entry to let people in. 😱

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I love watching antics when there's a flashing red light. People usually stop and then as soon as the crosswalk is clear, half a dozen cars roll through even though it's still flashing. In the rare event there's a cop present, no one moves until the cop moves. I think they enjoy the luls too because they tend to sit there even though the crosswalk has been clear for 10 seconds or more. Of course, this being Tucson, the cops may not know what a flashing red light means either.

It's a FREAKING Stop sign people!

 

[xanis]

I love watching antics when there's a flashing red light. People usually stop and then as soon as the crosswalk is clear, half a dozen cars roll through even though it's still flashing. In the rare event there's a cop present, no one moves until the cop moves. I think they enjoy the luls too because they tend to sit there even though the crosswalk has been clear for 10 seconds or more. Of course, this being Tucson, the cops may not know what a flashing red light means either.

It's a FREAKING Stop sign people!

You should see people try to figure out what to do once ~1am hits and the traffic lights around here go off timing and on to flashing-only. Many Lulz to be had.

 

[GeekDrew]

1) If you arrived to a stop sign first, you get to go first. If you arrive second, then you go second. You can (hopefully) do the rest of the math.

2) If you arrive at the same time as another person, yield to the right. It's the right thing to do.

What, exactly, do you do when all four directions are occupied, and nobody knows who should be going next? 😉 If everyone yields to their right, nobody will ever move.

I hate stop signs in high-traffic areas. Put in a traffic light and be done with it.

 

[halik]

See...this is why America needs to change to round-abouts. I spent four years in England, and discovered just how inefficient and idiotic traffic lights and stop signs really are. Only problem is it would be next to impossible to get a good majority of American drivers to learn the concept.

Couple weeks back I saw a crown vic driven by someone that went to grade school with Teddy Rosevelt hook a dead left into one... hilarity ensued.

Roundabouts don't work quite as well on big roads - i drove around in italy and they really do not scale well. You're essentially boned if you're not part of the heavier stream of traffic.

 

[Wreckem]

Heres another pro tip that a lot of people seem to be confused by.

When you are in the turn lane, at a light, and it gives you a red light and a green arrow at the same time it means fucking go.

 

[SparkyJJO]

What, exactly, do you do when all four directions are occupied, and nobody knows who should be going next? 😉 If everyone yields to their right, nobody will ever move.

I hate stop signs in high-traffic areas. Put in a traffic light and be done with it.

The odds of 4 cars all coming to a stop all at once are pretty slim.

When coming up to a 4 way stop and there are others coming at about the same time I'll purposely slow down a little quicker so that I'm the "last" person to get there. Makes it a little easier since people haven't the foggiest idea how to use 4 ways.

Oh, another thing - if the car across from you at a 4 way stop (or heck, even a 2 way stop) was there before you got there, it doesn't matter if he's going straight, left, or right, he goes before you.

 

[Cyco]

Heres another pro tip that a lot of people seem to be confused by.

When you are in the turn lane, at a light, and it gives you a red light and a green arrow at the same time it means fucking go.

This irks me to no end. I'm not one that has many pet peeves, and for the most part I'm a pretty calm driver. This however will cause me to yell out your questionable upbringing and family activities (SOB, MF and such.)

 

[SparkyJJO]

Another annoyance that has to do with traffic lights - stuck behind some slow driver going 5-10 under the speed limit, then the upcoming traffic light turns yellow so they floor it to get through while you're now stuck at the red light. Gahh!!

 

[ElFenix]

I love watching antics when there's a flashing red light. People usually stop and then as soon as the crosswalk is clear, half a dozen cars roll through even though it's still flashing. In the rare event there's a cop present, no one moves until the cop moves. I think they enjoy the luls too because they tend to sit there even though the crosswalk has been clear for 10 seconds or more. Of course, this being Tucson, the cops may not know what a flashing red light means either.

It's a FREAKING Stop sign people!

i see people blow through flashing reds all the time. no idea wtf they're thinking. no slow down or anything.

 

[mb]

I'm always to first to arrive at a four-way stop. I don't care what the guy in the hospital says.