Texas right of way or how to drive through a 4-way stop sign.
Yesterday's observation:
4 way stop sign where 2 lane highway makes a right turn E. to N. and secondary 2 lane roads intersect from S and W.
Pull up to intersection in Texas Cadilac from E w/ blinker on for left turn. Motorcycle turning left from N already stopped, waits until Texas Cadilac comes to full stop and actually makes eye contact and really will remain stopped before proceeding w/ left turn, though even then he knows it is 50-50 odds he will make it.
Second Texas Cadilac (aka CC pickup in more norhern yankee realms) pulls up to stop sign from the S and stops aprox. 12 feet past stop sign (or about half a truck length) effectively almost blocking TC #1 from easily turning left which is waiting to do so.
SUV from N has pulled up to stop sign w/ blinker on as well after motorcycle.
Driver from S who in normal world would now be third in line to cross, proceeds through intersection after nanosecond stop at aforementioned position at full throttle.
He must have ROW since he was not turning!
Even if slightly disgruntled other two drivers find this perfectly normal.
This applies only in urban areas. Rural* areas everyone would have stopped and waived and insisted eveyone else go first regardless of who had been sitting there for how long, resulting in time enough for local dog to get up from sleeping in middle of road and laconically mosey over to the side.
Or this is one I witnessed quite a while ago.
Three cars stopped at four way stop. First one proceeds through intesection. Construction worker leaves construction parking lot 20 feet before 4th stop sign, proceeds through stop sign at full throttle without hesitation and T-bones first car that is now 3/4's of the way though. It was just a car, everyone knows pickup trucks have ROW always, exceptions to gravel trucks.
* Rural, generally meaning more than 200 mi. from any slightly metropolitan areas leaving out most of North, Central, and East Texas. The rule used to be 25, 50, 60, and 100 mi succesively but TxDOT increased the rural definition citing the failure of the legislature to limit the incursion of anyone from anywhere or any direction, N,S,E, or W. 250 mi limit proposed to take effect fall of 07 and for the first time to include areas outside of the state proper.
Yesterday's observation:
4 way stop sign where 2 lane highway makes a right turn E. to N. and secondary 2 lane roads intersect from S and W.
Pull up to intersection in Texas Cadilac from E w/ blinker on for left turn. Motorcycle turning left from N already stopped, waits until Texas Cadilac comes to full stop and actually makes eye contact and really will remain stopped before proceeding w/ left turn, though even then he knows it is 50-50 odds he will make it.
Second Texas Cadilac (aka CC pickup in more norhern yankee realms) pulls up to stop sign from the S and stops aprox. 12 feet past stop sign (or about half a truck length) effectively almost blocking TC #1 from easily turning left which is waiting to do so.
SUV from N has pulled up to stop sign w/ blinker on as well after motorcycle.
Driver from S who in normal world would now be third in line to cross, proceeds through intersection after nanosecond stop at aforementioned position at full throttle.
He must have ROW since he was not turning!
Even if slightly disgruntled other two drivers find this perfectly normal.
This applies only in urban areas. Rural* areas everyone would have stopped and waived and insisted eveyone else go first regardless of who had been sitting there for how long, resulting in time enough for local dog to get up from sleeping in middle of road and laconically mosey over to the side.
Or this is one I witnessed quite a while ago.
Three cars stopped at four way stop. First one proceeds through intesection. Construction worker leaves construction parking lot 20 feet before 4th stop sign, proceeds through stop sign at full throttle without hesitation and T-bones first car that is now 3/4's of the way though. It was just a car, everyone knows pickup trucks have ROW always, exceptions to gravel trucks.
* Rural, generally meaning more than 200 mi. from any slightly metropolitan areas leaving out most of North, Central, and East Texas. The rule used to be 25, 50, 60, and 100 mi succesively but TxDOT increased the rural definition citing the failure of the legislature to limit the incursion of anyone from anywhere or any direction, N,S,E, or W. 250 mi limit proposed to take effect fall of 07 and for the first time to include areas outside of the state proper.
