Stop means stop!

I assume that most of us know that “Stop” on the red street sign is not an acronym; it is actually a word with several meanings, according to Webster’s Dictionary. When you tell a child to stop biting their nails you expect them to cease biting. When a driver comes upon a red street sign with the word “stop” in white letters, the driver is expected to stop. Or, as Webster’s Dictionary tells us, to cease motion. When you cease motion in a vehicle, the wheels are not turning, they are not creeping or coasting, they are stopped.

Twice in the last two weeks while turning left onto Saguaro Blvd. from Peaks Gym, I was cut off by drivers turning right from Gunsight Drive. They never saw me in the intersection because they were looking only in the direction of El Lago for any oncoming traffic. They ran the stop sign; they didn’t even slow down. I got their attention only when I blasted my horn.

Last Friday, I was waiting to turn left from the gym and four out of five vehicles turned right from Gunsight Drive onto Saguaro Blvd. without stopping. The fourth vehicle stopped due to traffic coming from El Lago and Saguaro Blvd. I will assume that the fourth driver knows the meaning of a stop sign and stops at all stop signs regardless of traffic.

For those of you who elect to run stop signs, really, how much time did you save by not stopping? Five to 10 seconds? Is it really worth risking a possible accident? Please pay attention while driving; follow the laws.