Are you suggesting the penalty be increased to $647? This sounds as a natural consequence of the American tradition of using stop signs nearly everywhere and yield signs very rarely. In Europe (or at least Sweden), it is the other way around, so the few stop signs that are around are generally more respected. California Rolling Stops! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have too much time on your hands.... You sure do have a lot of free time on your hands. rob, that's the dullest experiment you've ever done I won't stop until you're mine, I can't wait till the end of time Some places use yield signs instead of stops. It depends on the configuration of the intersection and traffic volume, but it's an iteresting way to force the law to comply with behavior. Isn't that the way it should work? The last picture in this article with the police car needs a caption! Almost certainly there's a law against altering road signs, so if you're going to do it then perhaps it's best to do it far from your home... Also, if someone is in an accident at that intersection after you change the sign you're ass is going to get sued. use the UK give-way system on junctions that only require a slowdown your mom is a creep. Can you snap a shot of the new 'creep' sign please? That would be hilarious. Also, although most of the time a complete stop it not necessary, people should obey a simple law like that. Love your stories and experiments Rob, keep up the good work! Rob, watch out with that "creep" sign, we used to pick on a guy who had a "dip" sign in front of his house! wow. wow, do the math and you have more than $700,000 per 8 hour stretch.....that could take care of a lot of problems in the state. You really should say something to someone about it. Good observations Rob! - Adam Jones, Columbus, OH S T O P ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! My wife has always used the term "Stoptional" to describe stop signs. I really like the word and I thought you could title your story that way if you wanted. -Steve How about a good old UK-style Give Way sign??? I think most stop signs, especially in residentail areas could be replaced with yield signs and no one would notice a difference. No, the stop sign law does not need to be changed. What needs to happen is most stop signs should be replaced with yield signs. In a residential neighborhood with slow speeds, that is all that is needed. Stop signs are just like speed limit signs in decreasing the public's respect for laws. Most stop signs should be yield signs, and drivers know it. Likewise, most speed limits on highways and arterials are underposted. Both these things lead to drivers breaking these unreasonable laws. That in turn makes the public respect other laws less. What we need to do is have reasonable laws, and then enforce them. But if you have a lot of unreasonable laws and then don't enforce them, it makes it really difficult for Joe Average to determine if a law is important and should be obeyed. All I can say is...roundabouts rule! Stopping is rarely necessary and it keeps traffic flowing. Change them to yield signs. Then drivers might respect stop signs more. Change them to yield signs. Then drivers might respect stop signs more. What? A single line for a comment? I'll just send an email. Change them to yield signs. Then drivers might respect stop signs more. Change them to yield signs. Then drivers might respect stop signs more. Hmm, is that Stacy receiving a $351 citation with her Jeep? Hey Rob, intersting story, but if they allowed us to 'creep' everyone would just push that up to a 'roll'. it would be anarchy. great site! JH Good idea! Roundabouts! Write to the Times!! stop signs are ultimately easier to teach and understand. in europe the right of way is a lot more complicated: if you come to an intersection, you creep to the line, watching all other roads. if someone is coming from your right, then he has the right of way. hence "right" of way. so you stop and let him pass, even if he got there after you. car coming from the front is fine, though if you turn into the same street as him, the one doing the right-turn has right of way. car from your left has to wait. this system is fine, if there arent too many cars. if theres people from all signs its all a giant mess and i get really scared and let everyone pass in front of me. ha ha ha If you do, I'm coming by with another sign that says "Lives Here", so that all the people driving by can realize that a creep lives in your house. I have a question... if you had to watch the videotape ANYWAY, why did you bother taping it? Wouldn't sitting on your front porch or in your yard for one hour be doing the same thing? Did you just videotape your experiment in case you need it as evidence in court? Or is it just something you copied off watching CSI... You should set up your camera again and get as much footage as you can so that eventually you can capture a cop rolling through the sign.. then you'll really get some evidence that the Creep signs need to be put in. That's one thing I don't understand, why put a stopsign if you can see 100 yards in both directions and there's absolutely no one in sight? I will admit that I roll through the signs if there is no other moving traffic on any of the streets, and I don't think that should be illegal. The previous 3 comments were from me. -Daniel... I have no life. I agree. Just another way for the state to generate revenue. I think a "Yield" sign is equivalent to "Creep" AllTooFlat and Cockeyed should team up - walking man and failure to stop project. Get out of my brain! You keep stealing my ideas! ~ TheEndisNow.com beep, beep Instead of a "creep" sign, how about you put an additional sign below each stop sign that says "in the name of love!" People might stop completely to read it. Of course that means an additional hour of observing after you have "updated" the signs... Over here in Australia, either one of the cross roads would have no stop signs at all, or they would put a round about in there The proposed "creep" sign would actually just be a Yield sign. Very nice compilation of data. I wonder if the stats would change after sundown... Yield signs! who's in the last picture? Great study. I correctly predicted the results before finishing the article. -Josh Creep might send off a wrong message and spur on road rage. Why not try "Slow" Same amount of letters and the "S" and "O" remain the same. In Australia we have 'Give way' signs (which only require a slow creep as you put it). Also, why do you have 3 stop signs on a standard intersection? Here the mainer of the roads gets no signs and the intersecting road gets stop or give way signs I've always thought that a lot of stop signs could be replaced by yield signs. And google "california stop" sometime... Congrats on the new house! All stop signs should be replaced with yield signs. Of course no one even pays the slightest bit of attention to yield signs so that might not work either! here here! Maybe the sign should say " ( STOP) " They should post signs that say "go really fast through here" that might work On my campus a guy I know did the same kind of research you did on stopping. He had the same resaults. Whats bad is its a 3 way stop, It would be a 4 way but the campus police station is in they way! A pev of mind is people who dont use there turn signals did you at that yet? In the Netherlands, there are almost no stop signs. Most intersections have "yeild" signs, and people actually do it. my pants are full of devil poop Creep is aka a Yield sign, right? Pantyhose! Creep Signs would be great, Even here In Canada i'm pretty sure that i'll get the same results as you. I tried putting a "creep" sign in front of my house, but people thought it was a comment about me rather than a command. I make full stops and think those that don't should be heavily ticked. It is a real safety issue. Signs that say "creep" may indicate that there's some pervert/jerk/stalker running around the intersection regularly, and you need to stop and turn around before going into his territory! My butt smells like farts. In Georgia, there is actually a law against "rushing" toward a stop sign; that is, making a complete stop too quickly. My fiancee got a $35 ticket for this. How do they judge that?! Well, when your little girl gets out on the road with her bike, I'll bet you'll be happy for the stop signs. I agree, there are many, many suburban stop signs that are ignored and rather disfunctional, and I would bet that the primary reason they are there is "for the children." Whether this is a valid excuse is another story, especially for us childless folk, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the signs at some point. When the "creep" signs become widespread, you should replace them with a picture of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. He's pretty creepy. You need a hobby. Don't they call it the "California Roll"? I'd be interested to see the results in other regions. Stop signs are used way too often. They should usually be replaced by yield signs. Why change the signs? Everybody knows that they don't mean STOP but PROCEED WITH CAUTION UNLESS YOU SEE A COP. On the other hand, maybe you're right - maybe we SHOULD change them to reflect that. If you haven't already shown all this information to your local police station, why haven't you done so? They can do things to emphasis the traffic rules, and to enforce them more rigorously, if they know there is a problem area. #2, you need a fence for your little one's sake. i remember hearing the tv that messing with a stopsign can lead to a manslaughter conviction. CYA, robbo or weep, or sleep, or seep, or beep (and roll), or follow, or snitch, or snatch, or snap, or something i think the colander will melt faster than the bowl "The giveaway difference was in the rims. When the rims stopped rotating, the car was stopped fully. If not, the car was still rolling." Are you sure your neighbors don't all just have spinners? "The giveaway difference was in the rims. When the rims stopped rotating, the car was stopped fully. If not, the car was still rolling." Are you sure your neighbors don't all just have spinners? your mom kayleigh stop poking Dude, it's called a "yield" sign. "In fact, after I finish posting this story, I'm going to replace the sign in front of our house with one that says "creep". " You might find yourself on some type of "list" if you put up a sign in front of your house that just says "creep". Rob, you should be honored with some sort of "Creep" award for this report. Good job. lets get this law changed pronto! In my neighborhood in Houston, some of the residential streets have yield signs on 2 sides of a 4-way intersection. This pretty much accomplishes what you suggested. Also, in Pennsylvania, you will often see a stop sign with a smaller sign below it that reads, "except right turn". Depending on the intersection, this is a pretty good approach. You might want to research the penalty for modifying traffic-control signs before you put up your "CREEP" sign. scofflaw! jailbird! bleeding heart liberal! Love your web site. This latest addition reminds me of a high school prank we pulled some 15 yeaers ago. . We copied the Paulie Shore music video and made a fake stop sign that read "chill" and placed it over the stop sign in the High school parking lot. It was made out of plexi glass and painted from the back so it looked very realistic. Stayed up for about 3 days and was the talk of school. or they should say.... "STOP! In the naaame of love" cool yay 1) A law is only followed to the extent it is enforced. By your logic, speed limits should be raised by at least 5mph across the board. Then by 5 more mph when people break that. School zones in neighborhoods will become 45mph zones. 2) Most neighborhood 4-way stops could be replaced by a 2-way yield. However, the stop signs are generally there for 'traffic calming' measures. A 'slow creep' sign would not accomplish this since 'slow creep' is ambiguous. 3) Since you seem to live in suburbia, bonus points if the pedestrian was actually going to a destination (i.e., as an alternative to driving). I would love to see a "creep" sign in place of a stop sign. Beautiful. A white line around a stop sign means its optional. Duh. That is absolutley horrid. Unfortunatly it's about the same way here. Every few days there is an accident at a 4 way stop near my home due to failure to stop. I'm pursuing a career in law enforcement to make sure this garbage stops. a Man, you should go all out and replace it with one that says "weirdo"! I dunno, creep sounds a lot like committee to re-elect the president. Seriously? Creep? Pics plz. I'm not sure if I would post a sign in front of my own house that said "Creep", but you can do what you like, my own sign is going to say "whacko" what shape is a creep sign? Uh Oh...I feel like you caught a glimpse into my soul. From this point on, I will never creep again but will instead stop at all stop signs. 'creep' can also mean a repulsive person or a sensation of fear. 'Slow children at play' signs maybe? solar-powered-flashing-LEDs mounted on stop signs? \Rob, that was awesome. I liked this experiment because all of us have been at fault with failing to stop at some point! Touche, my friend! True! did you consider the posibility of spinning rims? I think yield signs are under-used. great story! Won't you get fined for changing the signs? Thanks for finally PROVING this frequently thought of fact. People need to obey the laws. If everyone stopped at the lights, there'd be a lot less accidents! Thanks for experimenting! &totse moffofofofoffofofofffofofoofofkeekekkekkkekekkekkekekkekeekee creep! There's already a "creep" sign; Yield. lol You need to go replace the stop signs with Yield signs. THINGS ARE ALOT DIFFERENT IN SAC., OVER HER IN MISSOURI WHERE I LIVE NEARLY EVERYONE STOPS. EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME. yes MY NAME IS MAMMALTOES THE TURDBURGLER. I PROCLAIM THIS EXPERIMENT DIFFERS BY LOCATION! MY NAME IS MAMMALTOES THE TURDBURGLER. I PROCLAIM THIS EXPERIMENT DIFFERS BY LOCATION! replace the stopsign with a bear your new tshirts are teh ghey. After reading it that many times, the word "stop" loses all meaning. You might want to try changing the sign to "roll slowly." Somebody might think you are calling them a Creep if you put up a sign like that. And what is the shape going to be... you need to use something that can be internationally recognized. I would go with a Yellow Pentagon. But then, Rob, who would creep? Everyone would only almost creep, which would then progress to highway speeds through the creep sign. Its a slippery slope, Rob, a slippery slope. Nice touch, the stop-board-piechart :D Cheese I find this amusing because any variation of "slow-down-then-proceed" is referred to as a "California Stop" around here. Colorado-WooHoo! But Rob, if you give people that extra inch, they'll take a mile. I When more people are breaking the law than the police can punish, attempts to enforce the law are (or appear to be) arbitrary. It's not cool, especially if you are, say, a black motorist driving through a lilly-white neighborhood. hmmm. ok. You have entirely too much time on your hands... and auto-focus sucks... i did an experiment like this in high school for a statistics class. i wish i had my data but i dont. basically i sat out by a four way stop near the school for the hour after school was out. the first time i recorded whether or not they stopped (actually using the same "rims as proof" thing you did) from a place where i couldnt be seen, then the next day i sat out by the intersection where i could clearly be seen, hoping to prove people will drive better when they know theyre being watched. i dont remember the exact numbers but i remember my results werent statistically significant. only very few stopped, and no one seemed to care whether i was watching or not. oh well. Creep, indeed. Cars scare me. I think that you should ask other Cockeyed readers to do this same exercise in different regions of the country. After all, the "slow-creep-don't-stop" thing *is* called the "California Roll." Do people do California Rolls in Oregon or Arkansas? It's the duty of the alert Cockeyed reader (possessing a video recorder) to find out! Thanks for helping me remember that I hate everyone, Rob. Veronica Mars is the best show ever. Geez Rob, were you really that bored? Play w/your baby or something, sheesh. Yep, "creep" is pretty fitting. 5338 will you tally how many people try to figure out where you live with the map and vidio angles? creep this, mothafucka Perhaps adding a four-way go would give the perentage of accidents you're looking for. Or a yield sign I'd tend to agree with your conclusion, but I think it would be very hard to enforce in practice. At least in the few situations in which they do choose to enforce the law, it's a fairly clear line between "stopped" and "didn't stop." "Creep" is very open to interpretation, and could probably be easily defeated in court. Also, I don't think I trust the judgement of the average driver to accurately assess the appropriate "creep." If people continued their current behavior, it would be largely fine. But I think that people would probably stop even less if it were officially sanctioned, and the safety factor would be further decreased. no If you want to say "creep" why not say "jerk." That might make people, y'know jerk to a stop? you did it again, I'm going to 'change' all the stopsigns i see to 'creep' signs That's what "Yield" signs are for. Unfortunately the average american is not smart enough to handle them, so they're being phased out everywhere :-( There are a lot of unnecessary stop signs, the worst though are the unnecessary stop LIGHTS...2am they should all blink, there's NO ONE on the road! I'm pretty sure you'll end up in jail upon changing the stop sign to a creep sign, you should have also mentioned the fuel/energy considerations of having to fully stop as compared to slowing down. sounds like you should have give way signs or a round about! I learned to drive in California, and noticed a trick I call the California Rolling Stop. I think it's in the stop-ish zone. We want more Brook! www.glarkware.com; Just get some additions to the stop signs! creep So that's why it is called a "California Stop" when you roll through I am not surprised at all by these findings. Maybe if you surveyed a busier intersection (a four-way stop, perhaps), the results would be different, but most likely only because people HAVE to stop to let other cars go through before them. pulling on fresh stitches hurts Why the cop car? Getting in trouble again, Cockerham? You ought to be ashamed! but if you did that you might start attracting some creeps to your neighborhood, that wouldn't be cool Yeah, "creep" pretty much describes a man videotaping his neighbors. I can't believe you're from California and you're advocating to lessen laws. I have a stop sign in front of my house as well. If you make signs that say creep, I want in. mmurrett@gmail.com What you need are a couple of give way signs. Or a roundabout, those are cool. In Canada, stop sign laws are really strong. What are they like in the U.S.? (the laws, i mean) Creep, or maybe Lurk. Maybe the law shouldn't be changed, but rather the way it is enforced - police should follow the spirit of the law, not the letter. If a driver does not come to a dead stop, but nearly does, and the intersection was empty, then the point of stopping (to avoid a collision) is really not entirely necessary in terms of the letter of the law. The driver has fulfilled their duty of slowing down enough to assess the situation safely and correctly - there wouldn't be any reason for them to be cited. - Mike It seems like the intersection should just be a one way stop. I don't know about you, but in NZ everyone stops fully at a "Stop" sign, and we have "Give way" signs where you don't have to stop if you don't think you need to. Then again, we have very few intersections in the middle of suburban blocks around here.... Well that explains why (up here in Ontario!) we always called going through the intersection like that a "California Rolling Stop"! :) I'm in Europe at the moment, where most of the signs are yields, or not posted at all. In a residential area with kids I would waaaay more prefer Stop signs. Even if people only slow down cus of them. Here in Germany Noone slows down at junctions. How many of the full stops were caused by someone else at the intersection? It seems to me that your number of law abiding citizens would drop even more dramatically if you eliminated those who were almost "forced" to stop. That is why European and antipodean nations use roundabouts instead. Stop one of the drivers and start hitting him, then ask him if he wants you to slow down or to stop I think you should add a comma to the STOP signs and add the "creep" sign below each of them. As a motorist who actually was stopped for "rolling through" a stop sign, at 3 am, in the middle of nowhere (only me *sigh*) I can say I have learned my lesson. The ticket was far too much (..in canada too..) and I lost demerit points. I now stop at every intersection *fully*, just to be taken advantage of like the cars in your survey, they all fly through while i wait patiently. As a side-note, it also bothers me ALOT when people don't know what the rotation is, or what to do at a traffic stoplight when it's out! Was I the only one to take drivers ed?!? -Andrea As always, a fantastic observation. I'm sure many others will back the amendment of a frankly unreasonable law, especially given the excessive resulting fine when enforced. Also, love the ironic graph! Keep up the good work people are ridiculous That's cruel. You should be ashamed of yourself Mr Bor. Ever hear of the comedian "The Logger"? Had a bit about a city fella that rolled through a stop sign in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere and got pulled over by a Vermont town cop. The man pleaded that he had slowed down, looked, and felt it was safe. Officer stated, it didn't matter, you didn't stop. The man complained again, that he slowed down. The cop then pulled out his flashlight and started hitting the man over the head. "Now, do you want me to stop? Or just slow down?" creep on brotha In Washington State, we call the "Creep" a "California Stop". Send this tape to the police! Maybe then they'll start enforcing the laws! You should do the same study on people talking on their cell phones. It's against the law here in NY, but everyone is doing it anyway. Where are the cops?!? Creep! I should have made it clear that I have no desire to have the police enforce this law more vigorously. It is not important (in terms of safety) that people stop completely. -Rob I bet you'd see more stops at a four-way stop. Don't put the creep sign too close to your house. People may get the wrong idea. The solution: more overpasses. pule you're nuts RoB! This has probably already been said, but a "CREEP" sign would be equivalent to "YIELD", but I have to admit it's more clever or clever-er. I was in NYC at the end of April and two weeks later I received a citation by mail from a hidden camera because I had run a stop light - I don't even remember doing it (I was heavily sleep deprived and amped on Jolt) but that was so bogus! A ticke from big brother! What is this country coming too? Where I am from... slowing instead of stopping at a stop sign is known as a California Stop or California Roll i'd be in the minority People might get the wrong idea when they see the word "Creep." I agree. I got caught by a camera robot at a light for failing to come to a complete stop while making a right. I was completely protected by the left-turners being admitted into the intersection by a left-turn arrow, but no matter how safe the non-stop is, it's still $351. Adolf says Achtung! Stoppen! How about a sign that reads 2 MPH? How fast is that? We all suck. Would you be placing the "creep" sign to denote that a creep with a videocamera is most likely recording you? haven't you ever heard of the "california rolling stop"? your findings should be no suprise I always thought 3) was Slow To Observe Police actually I was the one driving the eight cars, I "borrowed" them from some of my "friends" what is the problem - is it the law or is it the people - think about it - why is it so hard to fully stop (I dont do it either) Very informative I was hoping to see an accident. asdf I always follow the "no cop, no stop" rule. I used to live in Sac, but now I live in Texas. I noticed that California has more stop signs and they're not taken seriously. Here they have fewer stop signs, but you can get life in prison for not stopping. Me being from CA causes problems.... I expect to be on the most wanted list soon. Fight The Man! The "creep" sign might cause people to think some jerk lived in the area, not a command. creapy Slop signs. Mike likes candy. Slop signs. Mike likes candy. I have heard slow roll-throughs like this described as "Michigan stops," "Texas stops," "Nevada stops," and so on. Apparently, everybody thinks that this is their own state's smart idea. I like cereal. CREEEP! If you have a sign that says creep, people will push the limit even further and you'll just have people not even attempting to slow down. The stop sign is already a creep sign. A creep sign would be a Go sign. Out my way they do have traffic light cameras. If you run the light or do not stop for Right-on-red you get a ticket in the mail. Nasty! But I do stop... the ol' "california stop" as it's so lovingly called... so, um, you bored or something? I love rolling stops! A cop pulls you over for not stopping at the stop sign. You protest by saying, that you slowed down. The cop suddenly starts beating the hell out of you and ask if you want him to stop or slow down The law already covers this - its called a Yield sign. Also, many residential intersections don't have stop sign control at all. Stop should mean stop. But not all stop signs should be where they are. I agree with the changing of the law. Down under, we have 'Give Way' signs - you slow at the intersection and stop if you need to. We also have Stop signs for 'risky' intersections, but most are give way. a waste of time? Here in NJ, people have forgotten how to manuever the elusive 4-way stop. It's hilarious, sad, and frustrating at the same time. Scofflaws! EVERY LAST ONE! CREEP! Hilarious. That has to be a Cockeyed.com new T-shirt Bettery yet, CREEP! All Way. two words. NAIL STRIPS I think you're creep-y i noticed near my own house that people talking on cellphones hardly come to a full stop and do not wait thier turn. it's like they are distracted or something ... stop stop stop Yield sign? What's that? It's called a yield sign. we had to do this exact same hour of observation in High School Driver's Ed class (but sans camera) - talk about boring but results were similar.... I say, dont let them to loose... give them one foot they take an intire km... I believe that this is a better protection for ouselve Bloop Bloop I Dip My Nuts In Your Soup PLEASE! Think of the lawyers! What would they do if the "creep" law was implemented? In college we got a video digitalizing system for the physics lab and went out to shoot some video so we could try measuring acceleration of cars. We ended up going out to the airport because at least the planes stopped at the end of the runway. I always stop the hotdogs I just hope that we get a photo of that Creep Sign.... :D everyone so used to the big red stop sign if you change it they might get confused and their brains will explode I've been in California nine months now, and I can't get over the *huge* gaps people tend to leave in front of their cars at red lights. Native drivers I've talked to hadn't noticed until it was pointed out, but no one's come up with a good explanation. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sometoast/sets/72057594130768834/ dude.... so i creep.. yeahh just keep it on the down-low.. said nobody is supposed to know.. I noticed that most of the full stops were when there was another car within close proximity. I imagine most cars will want to find out whether another car is going to ram into their side before they proceed. Personally, I'm always a full stopper - before going over the crosswalk, too. I'm a 19-year-old Male so most of my driving home is between 12 and 5 am, when no police are around anyway. I don't know why I'm a full stopper, I guess I just don't like tickets I think a 4-way yield would probably be appropriate, except that people usually read "yield" as "ignore." The traffic roundabout is making a comeback in NC, and it encourages everyone to slow for the intersection without necessarily stopping, but roundabouts also have their drawbacks (I find them very inefficient when the majority of traffic is two-way). Be sure to add a note pointing to your house so they know where the "creep" lives. :) how about suvs vs cars? do more expensive cars stop more often or less? etc You said that you were watching the rims to determine when somebody stopped completely. Did you take into account the spinning rims that all the kids are putting on their cars these days. Safety first Regarding your conclusion, the "Yield" sign is intended for that purpose. I DUNNO LISTEN TO THARED SIGN. TEH SIGN IS NOT TEH BOSS OF ME crap ***********CRAP************* ############ STOP! ############## RAT BASTARDS! ################# Why doesn't law enforcement do what you did, Rob? THERE ARE NO STOP SIGNS IN BAGHDAD! Stop & Go Stop & Shop There's already a sign for that, it's called Yield, or more commonly, "Cross your fingers and hit the gas." Stop it, Rob. Abolish all traffic laws! STOP SIGNS SUCK! California dreamin' Rob. I live in NYC and on my way to work last week the cabbie flew through 3 green lights. go to texas. they have yield signs instead of stop signs, but no one knows what yield means! great job, i was thinking of doing this about 3 summers ago Since the law isn't actually enforced to the point that everybody who breaks it is punished, do .you think that changing the law would only cause people to take more advantage of it? The sign says Stop, so people creep. If it said creep, they would most likely blow through it. hahahaha....creep signs. If you do that you'll get arrested! You should sell the videotape notes on Ebay! Your neighborhood looks nice I'm glad you changed the color of your ad box from that green that always messed with my eyes, so I'd have to scroll down the screen just to make it go away. Maybe instead of creep, a sign that says "meander" or "mosey through"? Or "just glance at the brake pedal, yeah, that'll do"? Or more amusingly, a stern and official-looking sign warning of video surveillance; make another recording, and see if it changes anything. Quite interesting, I was surprised at how many didn't stop, another good story Rob. I have often felt a full stop to be jarring. I have always imagined a stop to be defined as a zone, maybe 10 or 12 feet wide. You must stay within the zone for a set time- 1 or 2 secs. This could replace stopping at stop signs (although I do believe stop signs should remain) "Creep"? Why reinvent the Yield? How about for your next installment you install a fake "Stop Sign Camera"? That'll make people stop and think - so to speak. very cool. I stop! try that in mexico at a red light you will get the same results just about! no one fucking stops there at all I just write a comment in order to view comments. creep = correct = good sssssssssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzze Don't give up all faith in humanity, Rob. I stop... There is some good left in this world, and it's worth fighting for You should tell the cops and have em install a camera. Excuse me, sir! Why are you videotaping my intersection? Get out of here! Pervert!! because I could not stop for death he kindly stopped for me Great experiment! I love all the stuff you do, keep up your good work! do it - put in the creep sign! and a naked chick! you really have a lot of free time, dont you? Well done Rob, you're always on top of these political and social changes that need to be made. Just make sure the sign that says creep isn't in your front yard. hovercraft Excellent survey! Proof positive of the reasons behind the phrase "California stop". But I ahve to wonder -- what is it with California and fines that are something-something-and 1 dollars? $371 for stop sign violation; $271 for car pool lane violation. I don't get it. Is there a a section 15376.47.5.1.1 of the California Vehicular Code that states "All fines for mundane traffic violations must end with a 1? Mysteries of life in the roll-through state. Book him, Danno! I was in a cab in NYC the other day and the cabbie went through 3 red lights. The next light was green but he stopped. I asked him why he stopped at a green light and he said he wanted to make sure no cabs were coming! .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................I was wondering how far to the right I could go on this page! .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................I was wondering how far to the right I could go on this page! I'm a full-stopper. Mostly because I'm a new driver and still have the fear of being ticketed. Also because I was nearly t-boned in an intersection when I did a rolling stop. Pah. We ALL stop in Pittsburgh, you Californierdos. I would stand under those signs just so my label would be "Creep" I'd like to assert that I don't believe a damn person that types here that they always stop. I can hardly believe that you scanned in every single page of your notes. That is why (in Australia at least) our road design rules dictate that a Stop sign can only be used if there is less than a certain amount of sight distance available to a driver at the stop line (depends on operating speed of the road). If sufficient sight distance is available, a Give Way sign must be used unless there are other justifications (rare) for a Stop sign. Of course, there are still local councils out there with staff who do not understand this, so they install (or in the past, have installed) Stop signs just because they want(ed) to. This creates a similar situation to what you have there - almost everyone ignores most Stop signs. Another interesting thing is this 'three-way stop' situation. That's an ordinary cross-intersection apart from the one-way street on one leg of it. Why not just have a Stop sign on the approach that becomes one-way on the other side of the intersection? Then the other road (two-way all the way through) can have priority and its vehicles will not have to stop at all. And nobody will have to sit there and work out who arrived first and whose 'turn' it is to proceed. Welcome to most drivers. Wait until you live down a country road and people got 60 instead of 25 like the sign says. lawlz Could you please post the entire video?, thanks.......... I'm sorry your wife got a $351 ticket. On the other hand, Product Placement(TM), Cannon(TM), and Ads by Google(TM) should cover your expenses. Nah! Let's just change the laws instead. yawn "I'm going to replace the sign in front of our house with one that says "creep"" Isn't that a felony? penis The sign you're looking for is the "give way" sign - Its pretty stupid how the US doesn't have these. A "slow creep" may be fine for a quite residential neighborhood, but it would lead to madness at many busy stop sign intersections. And this....this is why I love reading cockeyed! Rob, are you turning into an old man? Are you some kind of elderly man, rob? Because this is typical elderly man behaviour. What is the police car in teh picture doing? "Given the wide gap between what people are doing, and what the law demand..." We should also make homocide legal, but just establish quotas per state. I'm a stopper! But that is cos I fear ...thats over 2 million dollars per day, given that the hour you took a video of is a perfect average, which i assume its not, but still, that would be allot of extra money for the town... and out of their pockets. wow I love this! I recently had the CHP do a little stakeout on our street in Rosemont where they nabbed 12 non-stoppers. Nice work. were you recently given a stop sign ticket? or... stop signs need to be changed to big flashy neon things that say "FREE SEX!". then people would stop. PT CRUISERS ARE GAY. I did a little math and your local police might like to know that if the traffic were the same as in your one hour time period, 24 hours a day, and every person was issued a ticket, that would be over 2 million dollars a day. Imagine what the police would do with that kind of cash... do I hear Ferrari police cruisers? Where I live in Edmonton Alberta, it's common to have 2 Yield signs at intersections instead of 2 stop signs. That way, it's legal to roll through an intersection. You just have to yield the right of way to those that don't have the yield signs You know what S-T-O-P means? Slight tap on pedal (the brake, that is) :-). Great survey, Rob! How about instead of Creep you make it SLOP, for SLow stOP. Would be easier to change with a bit of spray paint too! Stop signs are octagons. what's going on in the last photo? If people KNEW they were being watched, they would stop then. I think cops rely more on people's fear of being caught not stopping at a sign than the stop sign it's self. I'd love to see a sign that said "creep". I agre but with such a cool site your saying this on its olny a matter of time till the fuzz come figure it all out I'm not sure if your observational ideas hold up, because of the 8 cars that did stop, 2 HAD to stop because of other cars not following the proper driving instructions. While this may mean that even more drivers would not have stopped if those two conjunctions didn't force a stoppage to avoid an accident, it also means that fully one quarter of the stops were necessitated by others not observing the law. Who knows how many "forced stops" would be necessitated by an even more lenient "creeping" policy? Would even more people be tempted to "jump" their turn if a full stop wasn't expected? Maybe it would be more effective to reward good drivers, by installing cameras and notifying insurance companies whenever someone is observed obeying the law (and thus getting a discount for that year or something). I don't know. Maybe it's just that people who run stop signs irritate me, as it seems like another example of how we rush everything throughout our entire day. i like 'yield' signs. they're very sketchy and wishy washy when asked to testify. I don't think that the $351 "Failure to Stop" penalty is too high, but that it is either levied insufficiently, or actually isn't high enough. A high enough fine, even levied very infrequently, acts as a real deterrent. How many people would run stop signs if, for example, the fine was $500,000? Also, a lower fine, levied very consistently, also modifies behavior. I'm pretty sure that a camera system that billed you $5 for every single stop sign that you ran would change most people's driving habits. Unfortunately, I think that law enforcement looks at these fines (and is often forced to look at these fines) as a source of revenue primarily, rather than a public safety policy. Thus, the enforcement is spotty enough to give most people confidence in ignoring the law, and the fine is high enough to make it profitable to stop violators occasionally, but not so high that no one violates the law. it may change how the neighbors greet you in the morning but maybe people will stop just to get a double-take you should see how many people use their turn signal. There's the whole 'instantaneous velocity' paradox (AKA the 'arrow paradox' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno's_paradoxes#The_arrow_paradox ) to consider too! At any infinitesimal moment (like a single frame of a very very fast video camera), every car would be stationary. Could you invoke that to get off a citation? That is so bad! I cant believe people dont stop at a STOP sign. Please, please change those signs to "creep"! That would be the funniest thing ever! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yield_sign stop signs are important Piss on it Change the law!!!! when tampering with public property its best to not post your intentions on the internet awesome I feel that you need to have a stringent law, so that most people will at least creep. If the sign is creep, most poeple will drive through. Also, if the intersection is more crowded, then more full stops would be made. How about we enforce existing laws instead of making up new ones? $351 a car is a lot of money.. money that can be used to get our state out of the toilet. fuck tha police This is fascinating. I always come to a complete stop, under the assumption that other drivers are idiots, and will hit me if given the opportunity. Very interesting experiment. I personally hate that no one stops at stop signs. It is like that where I live and it annoys the heck out of me. I always stop. I was curious, where do you fit in this study of yours? Do you stop like you are supposed to? I don't think the law should be changed, I just think people are becoming to dang lazy to stop. It is ridiculous. Good work, by the way. Yield? wow I want to see a picture of the "CREEP" sign. In front of your house. I wonder if the original meaning will be lost... There already is a "creep" sign; but it is rarely seen now in the US. Other countries use it because of precisely what your article shows; a full stop is not always needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yield_sign Stopping is like dying. I can see it now: someone in your neighbourhood suing a stop sign for slander. XD What about pedestrians or cyclists? If stop signs are removed, it would make the road more hazardous to those seeking alternate form of travel. I'm legally blind, and I worry about getting hit by traffic all the time when I go out for walks. I've nearly been hit by vehicles blowing through stop signs while bike riding. Being a poor-sighted pedestrian can be scary, and people wantonly running stop signs is a huge worry when we depend on traffic laws to take some of the burden off our eyesight and give us some sort of reassurance that we won't be run over one day. In the UK, there are GIVE WAY signs in addition to STOPs - they would be more appropriate for this junction, or perhaps even a proper roundabout! I've heard "stop-ish" called a "California stop" actually. The "creep" sign will probably actually get people to come to a full stop. =) Goddamn, Rob, your family has been beaten by the ugly stick. It might just be me, but a three way stop makes it more confusing. In Australia if the intersection is so busy that it needs that many signs we'll get a roundabout or traffic lights. Great site by the way, I've been a reader for a good few years now. I wonder if you could invent some sort of tricky spinner things that go on your rims and spin backwards at exactly the speed your wheels are rolling forward so that it would LOOK like you were stopped but you could actually keep rolling. What about Yield? The only obvious conclusion is to let zombies loose and rule the streets. neat I agree with everything you say except that if humanity is truly acting so eschew from the law, the law need be changed. Not that I advocate this, but the polar and acceptable opposite of your true statement is that perhaps people have to change. Am I alluding to a massive traffice-patrol overhaul? Absolutely not. But if we truly cannot 'stop' at a 'stop sign' then what lengths should we go to, for example get involved on a grassroots level to lobby city councilpersons and eventually congresspersons? Ah, I've gone on too long. Thanks though. -Aaron Thanks for the article. I work near a similar intersection, and got stopped for failing to stop. (of course it was easy to see there were NO oncoming cars and I checked) Cost me $280 but no points on my license due to a nice prosecuter here in Jersey. You can bet I come to a complete stop every time at that intersection now. As a civil engineer, I really enjoyed this report. I agree that local and state agencies are using stop sign control with increasing and unnecessary frequency. All way stops are supposed to be for "a limited number of intersections where sight distance for other control types cannot be attained" (ref. AASHTO "green book"). But now they're used just to satisfy paranoid agencies and "concerned" citizens or when nobody takes to time to lay out a good design on a new road. Love the site, keep up the good work. The flaming tacos of doom are eating your soul. In all seriousness, not stopping at a stop sign is dumb, i got a $150 ticket(in Michigan) and it sucked. I as a proffessional pizza delivery MAN (aka a slacker), always stop or creep very slowly. i dont want to put any more dents, scratches, dings, and destruction to my already beaten and bruised car. haha "creep", i love it Dude, what did you smoke to decide to do this? People suck You're right about cars not needing to stop at that intersection, but no stop sign gives people incentive to go through at full speed thinking it's safe! Perhaps speed bumps along the street, yield signs, or a roundabout? My Dad, who was a police officer for several years, called the rolling stop a "California stop". Don't know if this was Police lingo or what, I just know that I always make a full stop. I've personally thought most residential intersections should have Yield signs instead of Stop because the volume of traffic isn't enough to make everyone stop. the squad car in that last photo doesnt look like sac pd... take pictures of the creep sign, and have your wife take pictures of you being arrested. More.....these keep me entertained. Mark I can only think that posting a "creep" sign in front of your house will make people think you're a child molester All hail the creep sign! You should contact the City of Sacramento and give them this information! They honestly might remove the signs if they aren't necessary. You don't understand the true purpose of traffic laws. They are 3% for safety, 97% for REVENUE. What's 251 times $351? Per hour? Those aren't stop signs, they are REVENUE signs. I hear that all stop signs outlined in white are optional after 10:00...thoughts? Rolling stops save gas. Momentum rules. hmm It's like the sign that says 'Dip,' or 'Slow Children at Play'...you're going to start offending the sensitive people. Do you not have 'Give Way' signs in the US? They basically do what you want; you give way to traffic, or otherwise proceed if it is safe to do so. My mother got a $75 ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a very un-busy intersection. It was sad because it was coming up on Christmas and our family is kind of poor. So I guess it gets enforced sometimes? This was in St. Paul, MN, just for your information. Surely such a sign already exists? "Yield" here in colorado we call them california stops....for a reason. I would instead be evil and offer to record people who fail to stop for the police in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds. Wow. If I were you, I'd get my own stop-sign-runner camera and get in cahoots with the city to take a large % of the proceeds from tickets. Good idea! I creep through stopsigns on my motorcycle because I can't put down my foot (I don't have one). The second there's an accident at a three-way creep, the resulting lawsuit will cost way more than 251 $351 traffic citations! Keep that Camera idea on the hush hush... shhh.... -TheChronicOne The state basically already does this by selectively enforcing the full stop rule. If you make "slow creep" legal, then you have to trust people's justgement about what a slow creep is, which is what is going on now anyway. By continueing to leave the full stop legal but not enforcing it, you're getting the slow creep that you(the government) want. So why spend a billion dollars changing the law when you've already got the behavior you're looking for? Stop means Stop! I like the 'creep' idea. 'Stop' signs are only needed when vision of one or more views is obstructed (by buildings, statues, corn, and trees), and vision of said views returns once at the intersection. your next prank? the "creep" sign. thanks 4 the info tho. but then people would reinterpret "creep" like they've done "stop." You' but then people would reinterpret "creep" like they've done "stop." You'd have 30 mph creeps. Maybe a 'Yield' sign would work better? I think all street signs should say "stupid" after their commands. As in "Stop, stupid." or "Yield, stupid." Clear it up a bit, you know? that was dumb The reason for the "STOP" sign is simple. They know that people will break the rule. If they made the law, "slow creep", then every one would do a fast creep. It is kind of the same way a speed limit is the starting bid at an auction. You have to go faster (raise your bid) or risk the danger of being rear ended by others who have decided to ignore it. Rolling stops save gas. dd In case you haven\'t seen it, Gary Lauder pretty much agrees: http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_lauder_s_new_traffic_sign_take_turns.html Are we shocked? Having grown up in Sacramento, I can officially say that nobody stops, and everyone knows that. (Of course, being a law abiding citizen, of COURSE I always stop.) New Zealand and Australia, among others, "Give Way" signs. They do pretty much what you'd expect - you're required to slow down that you can stop if needed, but don't need to halt your wheels. Then you have Stop signs as well. Is this different to california?