By: Dayna Roselli
No, I am not talking about a type of sushi here… I am talking about drivers that do NOT come to a complete stop at stop signs and when they are turning right on red.
I see it all the time. And according to Police, they see it too! I am from Upstate New York orginally, so I had never heard of a “California Roll.” To me, it sounded like something I would choose when I stand in line at the sub shop! But I later learned it’s just a name for a bad driving pattern… and it’s named after California drivers, who are famous for doing it. Rolling through the stop sign or red light.
Did you know, you are not only suppose come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but you are also supposed to stop at the stop bar…. then pull forward…. look both ways… and only go if it’s safe. How many drivers do you think do that? Not many!!
I always find it interesting when I see accident scenes at four way stops. How can that happen? Nobody is going fast… so there should be plenty of time to realize you could crash… right? I guess not. I just don’t get it.
At a four-way stop, police say you are supposed to let the person to your right go first. That’s how a four way works. If we all did this, there would be some kind of order. But instead, it’s who can skip through without having to wait.
The rules of the road are there for a reason. Share your thoughts and tell me your stories. I am sure many of you have one (or two, or three, or four…..)
I’m from California and I have noticed this here, more than California. I follow the complete stop/behind the line rule, but many lines are not painted. This is special true on two-way stops.
Comment by Ramon — May 13, 2008 @ 10:38 am
Hi Dayna,
I’ve been taught that to stop at a stop sign, four-way flashing red light, stop signal, means, putting our foot on the brake and having the car stop. The car may rock back a little, but RED means STOP.
Phoenix Arizona (http://www.orgsites.com/az/rms/index.html)
has a program where they have put signs at all intersections saying “RED means STOP”.
I think Metro has started that, and I’ve seen a few billboards, but an all-out media campaign is needed to teach people that RED means STOP.
Of course, once we teach them that RED means STOP, then the next course is YELLOW means slow down, get ready to stop, not ’speed up the light is going to turn red.’
Thanks for all the great articles.
Comment by T E Brown — May 13, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
You are so right! No one in this town knows how to proceed at a 4 way stop! Drivers are so rude and inconsiderate, and all they want to do is get ahead of everyone else, even if it only buys them a few seconds!!!
Comment by Crystal — May 15, 2008 @ 9:08 am
I was born and raised in California, the land of fruits and nuts. I am quite familiar with the California roll; however, in California, we called it the Beverly Hills Stop, which of course they never stopped, they rolled right through.
Comment by Holly Ditzel — May 17, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
I don’t know if you remember when Oakey was only two lanes wide between Decatur and Jones with a four-way stop at Lindell. I came to a COMPLETE stop at Lindell and the “wonderful” person behind me lays on their horn! You do the right thing by the law and people still get mad. Don’t even get me started on Summerlin drivers (the Land of the Beautiful People.)
Comment by B. Faires — May 19, 2008 @ 1:21 am
All points are great. The other BIG offence including our wonderful Gestapo (Metro) is I witnessed a police officer switch lanes 4 times WITHOUT signalling. They have cited people for less. The other offences are cell phones…including Metro again he was on his cell sped through a school zone at about 35mph, when the lights were flashing, NO ONE issued him a citation.
WHEN is our stupid legislature going to wake up and ban cell phones while driving. It is against the law to drink and drive…even a soft drink. think about it.
Comment by Bob Drummond — May 19, 2008 @ 8:16 am
4 sure no 1 knows how 2 navigate a 4 way stop. Patience is the best verture (we are only talking about 3 seconds of our trip)
Comment by don d — May 20, 2008 @ 5:44 am
A good place to witness the stupidity in this town at 4-way stops are at Jones/Warm Springs. It’s a very busy area that will need a light sooner or later but its funny to see people suddenly stop way short of the stop sign just so they be first to be able to go whenever two cars were approaching the stop from different directions at the same time.
This town hasn’t only attracted some of the worst people in the country, we got their drivers too.
Comment by Captain Newbie — June 9, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
There is a four way stop sign at Horizon Ridge and Coronado Center near Coronado High School. It is a fairly large intersection. Taking my son to summer school every morning and trying to take your turn crossing that intersection is a JOKE! For some reason nobody knows how to take their turn. Everyone is in such a hurry. You will see cars from one direction trying to go while another car(s) is trying to go at the same time. It makes me so mad that I’ve found an alternate route. One other thing…once you cross Horizon Ridge towards the high school you are in a flashing 15 mph school zone. Nobody seems to care about that at all! Where is a cop when you seriously need one?!
Comment by Kari — July 15, 2008 @ 12:03 am