4-way stop. What do YOU do?

[Tony]

You're approaching a 4-way stop and you can clearly see no other cars are approaching the same intersection. What do you do?

[Coffee]

Fortunately we don't have a lot of these in England. Instead we have roundabouts, which theoretically are supposed to keep the traffic moving. What usually happens is you find yourself coming to it from one of the lesser used roads as an endless stream of cars comes from the right, to which you must give way...indefinately.

[Innocent Bystander]

It's more complicated that that, Cofaidh!

In the UK we don't use the term "four-way stop", for a start. We would call it a crossroads. (Like where you bury vampires and so on.) And, as Cofaidh says, sometimes they have roundabouts on them. You call them something else, but you know what I mean. Roundabouts are easy. If no-one is approaching out of the lane to your right (because we drive on the left) you may proceed safely. Otherwise you wait for a gap in the traffic.

But if there is no roundabout, then crossroads are of two types.

The first, where the crossing roads are of equal size or priority, they will have traffic lights. And that is the protocol you follow.

If the roads are of different sizes or priorities, then one takes precedence.
If you are on the main road, then you can happily drive past those on the lesser roads.
The lesser road will be marked with either "Stop" signs or "Yield" signs.
When I learning to drive, I made the mistake of stopping at a Yield sign. The instructor cleared me up on this point. At a stop sign you are required to stop. If the car is not stationary, if only for a moment, then an offence has been committed. If, on the other hand, the sign says "Yield", you are only required to observe right of way. In other words, if it is clear that no car is approaching from the right, you may drive from the lesser road to the main road without stopping.

So how is it in the US? (I never got the hang of turning right on a red light, which I regard as dangerous to pedestrians.)

[gonzo914]

In the U.S., a 4-way stop has stop signs for all four directions. You're supposed to come to a complete stop, then proceed when clear. In case of a tie betwen two cars, the one with the flashing red lights and a siren has the right of way. If none have flashing red lights and a siren, the car to the right of you has the right of way.

Note that a complete stop is required, even if you are the only car there. That means all the way stopped. Not moving. Not rolling slowly. A stop. Just because you think you are the only car there doesn't mean you're not being watched.

[dow]

At a four-way stop, the person on the right goes first. If you're across from each other, and both are going straight, then you can go together. If one is turning left and one is going straight, and both arrive at the same time, then the one going straight has the right-of-way. Otherwise, look to your right. If nobody is there, then you can go (provided that there's not some jerk there going out of turn).

If you're both from Texas, and grew up somewhere other than the city, then you both sit and motion for the other to go first until one of you gives in and goes.

[The Weekenders]

Option 1 because God has a way of punishing me instantly for not doing the correct thing. I have turned illegally right on a red (a sign was posted not to, because it's legal in CA otherwise) once in my whole life. Damned if Johnny Law didn't appear out of nowhere and give me a ticket. Got a point for it, too.

[The Weekenders]

Near my house are two four-ways. The rule there is that whoever is talking on the cellphone and makes the fastest non-stopping pause (thereby displaying the least intent to yield) runs the stop sign first. It's unbelievable and chronic. People have "driving ADHD" anymore and can't concentrate long enough to figure out whose turn it is.

Yes, it's a wee exaggeration (there are some that obey) but not by much.

[susnfx]

Then there's my favorite four-way idiot. You're coming up to a four-way stop, but still half a block or more away. You can see a single car sitting at the stop sign coming from your right. They continue to wait until you get to the stop sign, even though they could have gone long before. Then they go. What's the purpose of that?!?

Susan

[dubhlinn]

Making sure that you've seen them?

Making sure you are going to stop?

Erring on the side of caution?

Slan,
D.

[gonzo914]

Making sure that you've seen them?

Making sure you are going to stop?

Erring on the side of caution?

Slan,
D.

Although you hope it's one of these, there's also the possibility they were --

Putting on make up

Whacking the kids upside the head

Talking on the phone

Had their head up their ass (See "Talking on the phone")

Finishing a bong hit

[Wanderer]

In the U.S., a 4-way stop has stop signs for all four directions. You're supposed to come to a complete stop, then proceed when clear. In case of a tie betwen two cars, the one with the flashing red lights and a siren has the right of way. If none have flashing red lights and a siren, the car to the right of you has the right of way.

In Texas, the car to the right does not have the right of way. The drivers have to work that out for themselves, though the "right goes first" is supposedly common convention, it's not law. Often it comes down to who's got the testosterone to make a move first....

[Flyingcursor]

Near my house are two four-ways. The rule there is that whoever is talking on the cellphone and makes the fastest non-stopping pause (thereby displaying the least intent to yield) runs the stop sign first. It's unbelievable and chronic. People have "driving ADHD" anymore and can't concentrate long enough to figure out whose turn it is.

Yes, it's a wee exaggeration (there are some that obey) but not by much.

As I recall from my days in San Francisco every intersection was a four way stop. It took forever to drive from Daly City, where I was a cook at Denny's to my sleazy hotel on Market Street.

[chas]

The point of a four-way stop is generally to slow traffic in residential neighborhoods. One road I drive every day has 4-way stops every block or two. But because most people didn't stop at them, the road now has traffic humps. The way I look at it is everyone's lives would be improved if everyone stopped when there was a stop sign there. I seek to improve others' lives, therefore I come to a complete stop at stop signs. I come to a complete stop when making a right on red. I stop at yellow lights if I'm reasonably confident the person on my ass will stop. (True story: I was coming to a yellow light, which was good and red when I stopped -- nothing sudden. A SCHOOL BUS locked its brakes behind me and was barely able to swerve around me and run the light, which had been red for probably at least five seconds at that point.) I also take speed humps at the speed limit and DON'T hit the gas between them. Nothing bothers me like people in Volvos or minivans or SUV's virtually stopping at speed humps (which are designed to be taken usually at 15-30 mph), speeding up to 50 in a 25 mph zone, then crawling over the next one. Take the damn thing at 25, then drive 25 between it. It's people like them that make it so we have 4-way stops and speed humps all over the place.

rant mode off.

[Flyingcursor]

I seek to improve others' lives, therefore I come to a complete stop at stop signs.

So in other words, you seek to be in people's way.

[gonzo914]

In the U.S., a 4-way stop has stop signs for all four directions. You're supposed to come to a complete stop, then proceed when clear. In case of a tie betwen two cars, the one with the flashing red lights and a siren has the right of way. If none have flashing red lights and a siren, the car to the right of you has the right of way.

In Texas, the car to the right does not have the right of way. The drivers have to work that out for themselves, though the "right goes first" is supposedly common convention, it's not law. Often it comes down to who's got the testosterone to make a move first....

And from experience, I can also tell you that it sometimes comes down to who has the rental car with full damage coverage and doesn't care what happens to it.