Driving through intersections when the traffic lights are out
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So, what is it with people here in Rhode Island? The lights are out, the traffic lights are out, and people zoom through intersections at 40-50 MPH!!! In CA, the rule was, treat the intersection as if it were a 4 way stop sign. Isn't that the same in all the states? Marc Microsoft MVP, Visual C# MyXaml MyXaml Blog
Yes. We had the situation throughout our town (Xenia, OH) last night. The thunderstorms that came through shredded the electrical grid and the traffic signal control network.
Software Zen:
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Marc Clifton wrote: In CA, the rule was, treat the intersection as if it were a 4 way stop sign. Isn't that the same in all the states? Really? As far as I can tell, the rules in the bit of California I'm currently visiting (Marina Del Rey, near LA) are "Get really confused" and "Let the Wookiee (or biggest SUV) win". I didn't know there was an actual official rule. :) (I may never complain about Boston drivers again after this place...) -- "Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." Gore Vidal
Diane Capewell wrote: As far as I can tell, the rules in the bit of California I'm currently visiting (Marina Del Rey, near LA) are "Get really confused" and "Let the Wookiee (or biggest SUV) win". :laugh::laugh: It kind of reminds me of a time when I hired a car in Denver. It was only the second time I'd driven in the US and the 4-way stop signs scared me the previous time, so I thought I'd ask the rental clerk what the rule was. Apparently, in Colorado at least, the rule is that the person with the biggest gun rack gets to go first. :eek:
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." --Zig Ziglar The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
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It's supposed to work that way. I go through an actual 4-way stop each morning and people have trouble deciding who's turn it is to go. :sigh: How can you not remember which 3 cars where at the intersection when you got there? Then drive when they've all gone through. :~ BW The Biggest Loser
"People look so snooty, take pills make them moody
Automatic bazootie, zero to tutti frutti"
-Hollywood FreaksThe law or rule in most states is: Whomever gets to a four-way stop signed intersection first has the right of way. If you can't tell who got there first. The person/vehicle on the right yields to the person on the left. Meaning that the person on your left goes first. However, having said all of that I remember when I lived in Minnesota for three years that it was sort of an unwritten rule that the cars in oncoming lanes went at the same time as long as one or both weren't making left turns. This wasn't a bad method since if you have two cars in the intersection at the same time going in opposite directions, it certainly speeds things up. I've often wondered how you can get something like that started in another region of the country. Here in New Jersey, most drivers are aware that if a vehicle is making a left turn on a two lane road, that the vehicle waiting to turn left must yield to the oncoming traffic. However, they are ignorant in that it does not apply to a two-way or four-way stop signed intersection and most NJ drivers try to go ahead of a person turning left at a stop signed intersection even though that person got there first.
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The law or rule in most states is: Whomever gets to a four-way stop signed intersection first has the right of way. If you can't tell who got there first. The person/vehicle on the right yields to the person on the left. Meaning that the person on your left goes first. However, having said all of that I remember when I lived in Minnesota for three years that it was sort of an unwritten rule that the cars in oncoming lanes went at the same time as long as one or both weren't making left turns. This wasn't a bad method since if you have two cars in the intersection at the same time going in opposite directions, it certainly speeds things up. I've often wondered how you can get something like that started in another region of the country. Here in New Jersey, most drivers are aware that if a vehicle is making a left turn on a two lane road, that the vehicle waiting to turn left must yield to the oncoming traffic. However, they are ignorant in that it does not apply to a two-way or four-way stop signed intersection and most NJ drivers try to go ahead of a person turning left at a stop signed intersection even though that person got there first.
I always thought that "right of way" meant that the person on the right went first :confused: (confirmed by a co-worker whos wife is a policewoman) Steve
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I always thought that "right of way" meant that the person on the right went first :confused: (confirmed by a co-worker whos wife is a policewoman) Steve
Absolutely incorrect. From Dictionary.com:
right of way also right-of-way (rtv-w)
n. pl. rights of way or right of ways also rights-of-way (rts-) or right-of-ways (-wz)The right to pass over property owned by another party.
The path or thoroughfare on which such passage is made.
The strip of land over which facilities such as highways, railroads, or power lines are built.
The customary or legal right of a person, vessel, or vehicle to pass in front of another
I never heard that explanation before (the one you mentioned) but I could see where that could be misunderstood to mean what you thought. Interesting. But, I always thought that "right of way" meant the "right" to do something like the "right" to go first.
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Absolutely incorrect. From Dictionary.com:
right of way also right-of-way (rtv-w)
n. pl. rights of way or right of ways also rights-of-way (rts-) or right-of-ways (-wz)The right to pass over property owned by another party.
The path or thoroughfare on which such passage is made.
The strip of land over which facilities such as highways, railroads, or power lines are built.
The customary or legal right of a person, vessel, or vehicle to pass in front of another
I never heard that explanation before (the one you mentioned) but I could see where that could be misunderstood to mean what you thought. Interesting. But, I always thought that "right of way" meant the "right" to do something like the "right" to go first.
But he is correct about who goes first. If two vehicles arrive simultaneously at the intersection, the right to proceed passes clockwise. It's a wonder that anyone remembers that, though, since so many people are not required to take driver training classes. We had to spend a semester of classroom instruction in the laws and proper behavior, then a semester of driving - first in expensive simulators, then behind the wheel with an instructor - before we were allowed to apply to take a driving test for a license. I don't know what the local kids get by way of instruction, but there's no simulators or actual driving experience involved. Too expensive, I'm told...:suss: Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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Diane Capewell wrote: As far as I can tell, the rules in the bit of California I'm currently visiting (Marina Del Rey, near LA) are "Get really confused" and "Let the Wookiee (or biggest SUV) win". :laugh::laugh: It kind of reminds me of a time when I hired a car in Denver. It was only the second time I'd driven in the US and the 4-way stop signs scared me the previous time, so I thought I'd ask the rental clerk what the rule was. Apparently, in Colorado at least, the rule is that the person with the biggest gun rack gets to go first. :eek:
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." --Zig Ziglar The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
Colin Angus Mackay wrote: the person with the biggest gun rack gets to go first :laugh::laugh: Same here!:-D Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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Marc Clifton wrote: In CA, the rule was, treat the intersection as if it were a 4 way stop sign. Isn't that the same in all the states? Really? As far as I can tell, the rules in the bit of California I'm currently visiting (Marina Del Rey, near LA) are "Get really confused" and "Let the Wookiee (or biggest SUV) win". I didn't know there was an actual official rule. :) (I may never complain about Boston drivers again after this place...) -- "Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." Gore Vidal
When I was growing up in California (pre-PRC) the drivers there were among the most courteous and alert anywhere. That started changing in the early 80s, as the Left Coast became gruesomely overcrowded, and impatient people became more engrossed in beating some imaginary timeline that laws and courtesy went out the passenger window. There was also a huge influx of foreigners who were untrained in our ways, and who came from very different cultures, at the same time. Traffic laws became optional about then, though we all still maintained our tradition of driving very, very fast on wide open highways.:-D Here in Arizona, almost no one actually stops at a stop sign; they do what has long been called (incorrectly) a California stop. It's sort of a rolling gesture intended to allow the driver to make a sudden stop if he happens to spot a cop, but otherwise run the stop sign whether it's safe to do so or not. It wasn't like that in CA long ago, but now it's nearly universal - Arizonans and the tourists from the PRC alike. Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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But he is correct about who goes first. If two vehicles arrive simultaneously at the intersection, the right to proceed passes clockwise. It's a wonder that anyone remembers that, though, since so many people are not required to take driver training classes. We had to spend a semester of classroom instruction in the laws and proper behavior, then a semester of driving - first in expensive simulators, then behind the wheel with an instructor - before we were allowed to apply to take a driving test for a license. I don't know what the local kids get by way of instruction, but there's no simulators or actual driving experience involved. Too expensive, I'm told...:suss: Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
Yup. You're right, I had it wrong. :-O I got my driver's license when I was 16 and I remembered it being something like "the person on the right yields to the person on the left" but actually after looking it up, it basically says "You should yield to the driver on the right if you both arrive at the same time".
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Yup. You're right, I had it wrong. :-O I got my driver's license when I was 16 and I remembered it being something like "the person on the right yields to the person on the left" but actually after looking it up, it basically says "You should yield to the driver on the right if you both arrive at the same time".
In recent years I've found it prudent to yield to the most aggressive idiot. The general rule still applies, but there's no point in trying to win that one against a moron who is determined to run the stop. Sadly, such imbeciles seem to be becoming the majority rather than the genetic fluke they used to be.:( Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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When I was growing up in California (pre-PRC) the drivers there were among the most courteous and alert anywhere. That started changing in the early 80s, as the Left Coast became gruesomely overcrowded, and impatient people became more engrossed in beating some imaginary timeline that laws and courtesy went out the passenger window. There was also a huge influx of foreigners who were untrained in our ways, and who came from very different cultures, at the same time. Traffic laws became optional about then, though we all still maintained our tradition of driving very, very fast on wide open highways.:-D Here in Arizona, almost no one actually stops at a stop sign; they do what has long been called (incorrectly) a California stop. It's sort of a rolling gesture intended to allow the driver to make a sudden stop if he happens to spot a cop, but otherwise run the stop sign whether it's safe to do so or not. It wasn't like that in CA long ago, but now it's nearly universal - Arizonans and the tourists from the PRC alike. Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
Heh-heh. We sort of do something similar in New Jersey in regards to a rolling stop. Except we do actually stop but just for about a full second or two. If there's a cop you just keep your foot on the brake a couple of seconds longer. Not the typical (lawful) three or four seconds average. You come up on a stop sign at a faster speed than normal, hit your brakes to stop for a second, then go if it's safe. Obviously a habit designed to get you through the intersection faster. In Minnesota they go through yellow lights to red consistently so that when it turns red everyone knows to wait about two seconds if you're stopped at a light and it turns green. When I first got to New Jersey, I kept up the behavior for a while until my native New Jerseyan passengers kept complaining.
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Absolutely incorrect. From Dictionary.com:
right of way also right-of-way (rtv-w)
n. pl. rights of way or right of ways also rights-of-way (rts-) or right-of-ways (-wz)The right to pass over property owned by another party.
The path or thoroughfare on which such passage is made.
The strip of land over which facilities such as highways, railroads, or power lines are built.
The customary or legal right of a person, vessel, or vehicle to pass in front of another
I never heard that explanation before (the one you mentioned) but I could see where that could be misunderstood to mean what you thought. Interesting. But, I always thought that "right of way" meant the "right" to do something like the "right" to go first.
This is how I associated right of way with who goes first in an intersection [^] Steve
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So, what is it with people here in Rhode Island? The lights are out, the traffic lights are out, and people zoom through intersections at 40-50 MPH!!! In CA, the rule was, treat the intersection as if it were a 4 way stop sign. Isn't that the same in all the states? Marc Microsoft MVP, Visual C# MyXaml MyXaml Blog
I came across this - maybe is helps to explain things: LAW: It is required by law that you make a loud noise when passing a car on the left. COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Rhode Island CITATION: §31-15-4 Overtaking on left. ACTUAL: The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules stated in this section: (1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give a timely, audible signal and shall pass to the left at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. (2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of the front vehicle on the audible signal of the overtaking vehicle shall give way to the right, and shall not increase speed until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle. Steve
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I came across this - maybe is helps to explain things: LAW: It is required by law that you make a loud noise when passing a car on the left. COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Rhode Island CITATION: §31-15-4 Overtaking on left. ACTUAL: The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules stated in this section: (1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give a timely, audible signal and shall pass to the left at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. (2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of the front vehicle on the audible signal of the overtaking vehicle shall give way to the right, and shall not increase speed until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle. Steve
:omg: Where did you find that? You mean I'm supposed to honk my horn when passing someone? Geez, I might as well just keep it constantly blaring then! Marc Microsoft MVP, Visual C# MyXaml MyXaml Blog