Two Types Of People.... Those That Stop At Stop Signs, And Those That Don't

I have come to accept this new belief, as the title states, that merely two specific types of human beings exist on this planet. Those that will stop at a stop sign, and those which will never give it a second thought, and merely run right through it. Regardless of nationality, race, religion, or location, all people fall into to these two catagories.

Those to whom the stop sign matters, and those, to which it does not.

Yes, the "Stop" sign, may be simply a metaphor for any rule, or regulation, or belief, or system of understanding, but, no matter what the physical manefestation of this may be, they will obey, or they will choose to disregard at whatever peril they may face. Whether this may be consequences, or simply an event which changes everything, such as a collision, that has life altering consequences, or a simple fender bender.

As previously stated, this is merely an observation, with no scientific backing, and no evidence to prove, said theory.... But, an inescapeable fact nonetheless....

We are all.....

The one's who "STOP" or choose not too......

Well, just like any other law, sometimes a stop sign is necessary in a dangerous location, and sometimes it's the third one in 20 feet and screw that sign.

I think we all choose which laws and rules to obey and which we don't. Just think about how often you go 5 over the speed limit because you don't actually respect a 35 mph sign where you can very safely drive faster

reply to post by Hawking


Yes, I agree, but is the third one in twenty feet, just as crucial, as the first one???

In other words, could this be the "stop" sign, that makes it or breaks it, so to speak, or is it a question of human nature to obey some laws, but look aside at those which are the "third stop sign in twenty feet"?

That "stop" sign, may be the one which ends your life on this planet, or the one which means absolutely nothing, and merrily we go along....

Almost as though, a choice, can make a memory, or end one......forever

Originally posted by freetree64

....this is merely an observation, with no scientific backing, and no evidence to prove, said theory....

I have the scientific backing!

One Sunday on the Isle of Skye some mischievous young men altered the traffic lights at a small stretch of roadworks so both lights stayed red. I was in a position to watch the reactions of the motorists. A very small minority drove straight through. Some looked carefully then drove through. Some waited a short time, some waited for longer. Occasionally someone would wait for a ridiculously long time then drive through with extreme care.

The sample was small and mostly churchgoers returning home. Different samples would no doubt behave differently. My observation showed 100% of the sample did eventually pass the red light. The small number who drove straight through confirm your view that one type doesn't give it a second thought.

What about the third group of people that drive straight into the stop sign because they are so indifferent to whats going on around them .

Originally posted by 12voltz
What about the third group of people that drive straight into the stop sign because they are so indifferent to whats going on around them .

They often get pulled into a gang by the people who do donuts around the stop sign tearing up the grass and concrete just to wait for some pigs to roll up so they have something to shoot at. But I pray there will always be someone watching over the pigs and the thugs and the lost children that get caught in the middle. I sure hate pigs and I sure hate evil....who am I though? Oh yeah I gave up driving my Acura so I'm not in this story

from what i've observed, bicyclists are immune from obeying stop signs.


-subfab

reply to post by freetree64


this is just another form of polarization, reality is not black and white, it's shades of grey :p

there is always middle ground.

some people will stop one day and drive right through the next day,

some people will only drive through after glancing around to make sure theres nothing nearby, while some people who can see clearly the intersection is empty will still stop, and there is endlessly more variances,

typical mainstram media are the ones who always try to convince you the propaganda there is only one or the other, or in the words of goerge w bush "your either with us or against us"

the buddhists say, the middle path is the way to enlightenment, the media say, there is no middle path.

Originally posted by subfab
from what i've observed, bicyclists are immune from obeying stop signs.


-subfab

No, they're just dumb and subconsciously asking to be run over. I stop for all stop signs because I want to keep my insurance rate low, but I also drive around 5 MPH over the speed limit unless there is an obvious speed trap, and I will make left turns even if I have to cross over a double yellow line, but I do wait until it's generally safe to turn before doing so. People who don't stop for red lights end up consistently making bad decisions and tend to end up in prison or dead because of it. You can't generalize about people, we're too chaotic.

reply to post by freetree64


You are wrong. I stop at a stop sign because I do not wish to cause a wreck, not because it is a law. Some laws should be followed because they prevent us from causing harm to others, such as stopping at the sign. However my country has many moronic laws that I do not accept as necessary. Some will obey those laws because they do not wish to suffer the consequences of breaking them, others will obey laws that make sense to them but not those that do not. There are more than just these two types of people. Despite what some individuals that might lack the capabilities of utilizing basic logic may believe, the world is not simply black and white...

Well i stop about 75% of the time. The other 25% I use judgment and blow it. What does that make me? According to your findings this is impossible because they are mutually exclusive. How is my existence possible? Am I REAL!?!?

reply to post by freetree64


There might be a scientific reason for people who walk right out on a busy road...

Behavioral changes

It has been found that the parasite has the ability to change the behaviour of its host: infected rats and mice are less fearful of cats—in fact, some of the infected rats seek out cat-urine-marked areas. This effect is advantageous to the parasite, which is able to proliferate if a cat eats the infected rat and thereby becomes a carrier. The mechanism for this change is not completely understood, but there is evidence that toxoplasmosis infection raises dopamine levels and concentrates in the amygdala in infected mice.

The findings of behavioural alteration in rats and mice have led some scientists to speculate that Toxoplasma may have similar effects in humans. Toxoplasma is one of a number of parasites that may alter their host's behaviour as a part of their life cycle. Some studies have linked latent toxoplasmosis to an increased incidence of traffic accidents.

Toxoplasmosis

As far as I know, this has not yet been proven completely but is speculated.

For people with cats that might be worried about this, outdoor cats are the ones you need to watch, make sure that you do not come into contact directly or indirectly with your cats feces.

There are a lot of more informative links on the internet but I did not want to spam the thread with them all (if you want to read more).

From experience, sometimes signs are there for good reason. This guy found out the hard way. Lucky for him it was only his bike and ego that were damaged



Stopping is the way forward.

Originally posted by Hawking
Well, just like any other law, sometimes a stop sign is necessary in a dangerous location, and sometimes it's the third one in 20 feet and screw that sign.

Tell that to the 11 people who died recently cause the driver skipped the stop sign out on the country road. You know, on of those stop signs that are there for no apparent reason, until THIS happens.

"I've been on the job for 28 years and I've never seen anything quite like this collision tonight," OPP Insp. Steve Porter told reporters on the scene Monday night.

Now consider this, in 28 years this OPP officer has never seen an accident so bad, and it all happened cause a driver skipped a STOP sign. Source

Yes, those pesky STOP signs. Let us not obey them and just do what we feel is right. I'm sure you'd have a very different attitude if you had some ties to those 11 people.

(I'm not sure if this article says it was determined he skipped the STOP sign, but I know that afterwards they said so on the news the following evening)

Originally posted by freetree64

Those to whom the stop sign matters, and those, to which it does not.

Yes, the "Stop" sign, may be simply a metaphor for any rule, or regulation, or belief, or system of understanding, but, no matter what the physical manefestation of this may be, they will obey, or they will choose to disregard at whatever peril they may face.

I can stretch this logic to mean that those who will run a stop sign will happily murder or steal. That's the danger of looking at the world in black and white and then extrapolating that.

Rules, laws, and beliefs are three different things as well. I routinely disregard certain belief systems because I simply do not agree with them, mainly by refusing to accept the moral code that such a belief system would demand. It doesn't mean that my midnight snack is going to be chocolate covered baby toes.

reply to post by Hawking


Well, you know, sometimes that third stop sign you skipped thinking it wasn't necessary, keeps you from hitting someone who could be crossing as you crossed illegaly. I've seen it a couple times and those people are also the ones who hit & run.

I'm sorry but there are really, REALLY rare times when a stop sign is not necessary. Laws though... Most of em aren't necessary but that's a whole other story, we cannot compare a stop sign to the ridiculousness of laws.

Peace and much Love

reply to post by freetree64


Some arent born with the ability to read or even see the sign. Sometimes the sign degrades and no one is there to repair it. Sometimes the people that place the signs do a poor job.

You're missing several options.

Those that sometimes stop, those that seldom stop, those that toss a coin to decide whether or not they will stop and ...

*drumroll*

those that slow down, shoot the sign full of holes then drive on and ...

*drumroll*

those that steal the sign and post it in their bedroom.

As a rule, I always obey the Laws of the road.

Except this one night I was feeling a bit anarchistic, sped through an off ramp road sign at 3am on a dark deserted highway and ripped my axle clean off on the previously unseen lane divider directly past the sign.

Speaking from direct experience, it's probably a better idea to just go ahead and stop.

Originally posted by Hawkingsometimes it's the third one in 20 feet and screw that sign.

Yes.

I rarely stop for stop signs completely. I usually slow to a crawl except for intersections where I can't see for at least a couple hundred feet in the other direction. I never just ignore them. I also don't really drive anything that runs less than a high 14-15.0 second 1/4 mile. Being cautious and driving slowly has it's place, but more often than not being hesitant causes accidents.

A few weeks ago I was behind an older woman in a Cadillac Eldorado (2000 I think, Northstar... not a slow car) at an intersection. I was getting irritated because there were at least 3 times I would have just shot across the intersection, but she sat there and waited for a bigger than 3 second gap. After the 4th or 5th car, she slowly crept out into the intersection and took a Civic to the fender at about 20MPH. No one was hurt except for the shattered plastic (damnit I hate new cars) but it could have been prevented by just not hesitating.