The Freakin' Four-way Stop

The concept is reasonable and quite simple.  At all four entry points of an intersection there is a stop sign with another sign below it indicating it's a four-way stop.  The first person to the intersection, after coming to a complete stop, goes through the intersection first.  There's not a lot required of the driver other than knowing who arrived at the intersection before you, waiting for those drivers to go, and then driving through the intersection once it's your turn.  Sweet and easy, right?  I wish.

I've actually categorized and named the different nabobs that confound and befuddle the four-way stop process.  This is either an indication that I have way too much time on my hands, or that I have a potential problem with road rage.  Maybe both.  Hopefully neither, but I'll let you, the dear reader, be the judge.

The Searcher


This just happened to me today and is the reason I'm in the tizzy that I'm in.  You pull up to the four-way stop after another car.  It continues to sit there as you wait for it to proceed.  However, you notice the driver is digging in their purse, or some such, perhaps rooting around the car, in search of something. In the incident I endured today a lady was tearing the front seat of her car out in search of something.  Right as I had figured I should just go, she popped up with her cell phone and darted into the intersection, causing me to slam on my breaks.  I"m guessing she talked on it the rest of the way to her destination, reeking havoc along the way.  I don't know her, but I don't think I like that woman.

The Uncommitted

This individual causes just about as much trouble as the searcher.  It's usually some little old lady that can barely see over the steering wheel.  It's her turn to go, but hesitates, causing the other drivers to wonder if she will ever go.  She gases it about the same time another driver does, causing both drivers to slam on their breaks.  She'll then slowly, and I mean slowly, creep out into the intersection, kind of testing the other drivers to see if they might try to go as well, before she steps on the gas and rolls through the intersection.  God love our grandmas, but dang if that ain't irritating!

The Stop-N-Go

It's a busy four-way intersection with lots of drivers just wanting to get home.  There are like five cars ahead of you.  You slowly make it up to the intersection and it's your turn to go when one of the other drivers rushes up to the intersection, does a Tennessee rolling stop (that's what we call it in our parts, I'm sure you have your own name for it) and blasts through the intersection, causing you to slam on your breaks.  I think the stop-n-go does it because they know the natural reflex of the other driver is to hit the breaks.  They drive off and could care less that it was your turn.  They're worst than the person who gets in the "10 Items or Less" lane at a grocery store with 15 items.  Actually, I think I dislike them both equally, now that I think about it.

The Director

You and three other drivers pull up to the four-way stop nearly simultaneously.  Someone will have to take the initiative and just go.  But it's not that simple because a crotchety old dude in a pickup truck decides he will direct the traffic flow.  I'm assuming it's arbitrary, but he'll point at the person he thinks should go first, then second, and so on.  It's not a bad thing he does it, it's better than the chaos of all four people going at the same time, I just wonder if I'll do that when I'm 80 years old.  I hope not.

The Short Stop

You and another car are pulling up to the four-way stop and it's obvious you'll be there before they will.  To compensate for this, the other driver will short stop the intersection, that is, stop way back of the intersection, in order to go before you. When I say short stop, I mean as much as ten feet before the intersection.  That dude has got to be in a real hurry to do that.  A stop-n-go will usually follow a short stop, making that person doubly infuriating.

The Abdicator

This person is just trying to be nice.  He pulls up, it's their turn to go, but they figure they'll be courteous and let the next person go.  By abdicating his turn, however, they have thrown the whole orderly process into chaos.  As has happened to me, I don't see the nice chap waving me through, so I sit there while other drivers get irritated that neither of us are going.  By the time I see the generosity being bestowed upon me, other drivers have taken the initiative and gone into the intersection, causing a gridlock that takes a few minutes to sort out.  If the abdicator would have simply gone when it was their turn everything would have been peachy.  Alas...

I know I should simply roll up to the four-way stop, take my turn and not let these folks get under my skin.  But I'm weak!  It just sticks in my craw!  I'm really not given to road rage, but dang if the four-way stop don't chap my hide!

Well, that's my rant and I feel better, my dear reader.  Thanks for indulging my harangue on the four-way stop.  Did I leave out anyone?  If so, let me know. Otherwise, happy and safe driving!