If a tree falls in the forest...

There is a familiar phrase that asks the question - if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? A similar question can be asked about traffic control devices.

What is the purpose of a traffic control device? They are not there just to create a place for us to stop and rest for a moment. In other words, a stop sign is not there to make you stop. It is there to create a process for orderly passage of vehicles through an intersection.

A stop sign has no awareness of the intersection where it resides.  It doesn't know the visibility, time of day, amount of traffic.  It just stands there, in all its crimson glory, and tells drivers to stop.  Stop signs are cheap and easy to deploy, but probably the most inefficient of all traffic controls.

So my question here is, in the absence of traffic, does a stop sign or stop light serve any purpose? No. So if it serves no purpose, we should be able to proceed safely though the intersection without need to obey exactly what the device says.  Since the stop sign has no intelligence, I should be able to apply my own in assessing the current conditions, at that location, at that instance.  I would love to see a 4-way yield.  Some of you will stay up at nights thinking about that one.

Exactly why we need Situational Driving Rules. I do it all the time. I have never been in an accident and never had a ticket for it. Am I pressing my luck? No! Remember the phrase 'in the absence of traffic'. Police are traffic. If you are competently paying attention and intelligently and accurately assessing each and every situation, you will never be in an accident, never get a ticket, and be an absolutely safe driver.

Imagine that. See you in the fast lane!