I was just driving home from work and in our area there is currently a very bad wind storm causing power outages everywhere, including all of the traffic lights. Out of about 10 of the lights I encountered that have no power only myself and a few other people stopped at all making these intersections extremely dangerous. How do people get a driver's license and not understand this simple, yet very important law?

Until 2018 this was not true in Michigan. Even LEO's were not sure what to do. It was dependent on the intersection and it's traffic volume who had the right of way, who had to stop ang who did not.

Yeah, in most if not all drivers license manuals it states that a malfunctioning traffic light intersection is to be considered a 4 way stop intersection until light is repaired. I think it is even on the tests. People seem to go all panicky when the light dosen't work and forget. Hell! I learned this back in 1970 when I first got my license.

People are only concerned about themselves. They are the only ones in a hurry to get anywhere. Traffic laws only apply to others, not them.
I about hit a guy riding against traffic on a bicycle the other day when he rode right in front of my van when I was turning right from a stop sign. He was breaking the law not riding with traffic, but van vs bicycle would not have been pretty.

Most of our lights have been out since Ocober 28th. It is pretty exciting. The locals know they are supposed to stop but the tourists just keep going. They claim they need special parts and that new traffic signals must be ordered. The cops gave up several weeks ago as far a directing traffic.

I missed the part where it said if the bathroom was close by and who had the most tacos...

or who was driving the bigger truck.

Yep, 4-way stop from what I remember, but I've only taken the written test in 3 states IL, MI, and IN.

Here in Pennsylvania it’s like a stop sign intersection.
https://www.penndot.gov/PennDO...Article.aspx?post=51

Around here, some folks don’t even stop at BLINKING red lights.

Here, they don't even slow down for Stop signs. It's like they're invisible.

Traffic lights out= 4-way stop.

Power was out one time in Redmond and they were driving over the side walks to go around people.

The idea of "Bugging Out" in an emergency \ disaster is a recipe for disaster.

quote:

Originally posted by hudr:
Around here, some folks don’t even stop at BLINKING red lights.

Visit Detroit, it's not safe to stop at many red lights. Makes it easier to get robbed or carjacked.

My town put in a signal in front of a retirement center. The light is a single yellow light and two side-by-side red lights above the yellow. (I have no idea why there are two red lights.) When someone presses the call button at the crosswalk, the yellow goes on for a few seconds and changes to the double red. After a bit, the red starts flashing, then turns off after several more seconds.

People will stop for the solid red but when it starts flashing, people lose their minds and start driving through it as if it wasn't even there.

We had a nearby forest fire caused by an exploding transformer. Which knocked out the power for a huge area. THEN they ordered an evacuation! There was really only one exit for us.

If people didn’t know the law they quickly learned it. Other drivers had the routine down and damned if you didn’t take you turn.

quote:

Around here, some folks don’t even stop at BLINKING red lights.

Ah, the 'California Roll', as it's referred to around here. Someone once told me it was visiting Cali drivers and their exported habits at 4-way stops that popularized the term. Honestly I never really noticed this rolling "stop" habit whenever I was traveling down in the Bay Area or places southwards on down to San Diego, but it's generally not a thing around here, though I have seen a few times where some idiots don't slow down at all.

Instead what I notice most whether dead stop light or functioning 4-way stop is that too often the drivers in these parts FREEZE UP AS IF STRUCK BY SHEER TERROR and damn near refuse to cross into the intersection, and the person immediately behind one of these frozen folk become dumbstruck and just as indecisive as what to do next. Hey, it's called a HORN, dummy...USE IT.

I think it's because of the rain...and/or the dreary gray skies nine months out of the year. Brains that wind up turned to mush, vote Democrat, then given licenses to get behind the wheel of two ton machines than can maim and kill yet get you from Point A to Point B if only they understood the principle behind the accelerator pedal. That's Western WA for ya, in a nutshell.

quote:

People will stop for the solid red but when it starts flashing, people lose their minds and start driving through it as if it wasn't even there.

My wild-ass-guess: probably accumulated and learned behavior from habits picked up running railroad crossings before the gate comes down. I'm digressing but about three years ago a former coworker heading home after work witnessed the Darwinian results of such an act only a few blocks from our shop. Cut the impatient fool's car (and himself) right in half tangling with that locomotive. Messed up the coworker really good as well; she quit less than a month later because she couldn't drive across that crossing without reliving that event.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by braillediver:
Traffic lights out= 4-way stop.

*
Unless you are important.

( Talking on the phone, texting,
eating, playing with the radio, doing your make up, reading the map, etc. )

quote:

Originally posted by remsig:
How do people get a driver's license and not understand this simple, yet very important law?

I've long thought that there are a handful of questions that should be on the driving test and you have to hit 100% on those questions. This one be one of those questions. What to do a 4 way stop would be another. (Ok, maybe let folks miss one case they misread one question.)

I used to have a routine for stop sign violators who said “but, I slowed down”.

I’d say to them..... “if I started beating you with a piece of garden hose, would you want me to stop or slow down?”

Most everyone left with a better understanding of “stop”.

Then LAPD and Rodney King ruined that routine for me.

I’m just happy they know what stops signs, red lights and green lights mean, and hav at least a vague understanding of yellow lights.

We had power out for awhile and the T-intersection by my house had no power to the traffic signal and people just kept blowing through it.

The city put up temporary stop signs at all three sides and people ignored them too.