Thursday, May 20, 2010

One Thousand And One, One Thousand....

Huh. According to my daughter (and a quick web search), there's an underground theory that stops at a stop sign must be for 3 or more seconds.

But nobody seems able to prove it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

That's incorrect. As long as you come to a stop, the length of time you are stationary is immaterial. If a cop is watching, he or she just wants to see your wheels stop turning!

I've heard that 3 second rule in the UK, as well. It seems to be a popular myth. I think it started because people think a stop has to be confirmed; 3 seconds seems like a decent number. But it's at odds with the 2 second gap rule - why 3 seconds stationary, but 2 seconds when moving? Fact is, we need much less than a second to see that something has stopped.

If you stop-and-go and the cop fails to see your stop, you might have difficulty. Cops not being renowned for admitting they screwed up and all. (I suspect that's where the 3 second rule got its start.) So it's always best to come to a firm stop, but you don't have to hold traffic up for a few seconds. I can imagine how well that would go down in places like Brooklyn or central Jersey!

Put it up there with the "every Interstate has 1 straight mile every 5 miles" myth. :-)

Cerulean Bill said...

...and the cop fails to see your stop, you might have difficulty...

I would bet that is EXACTLY where it comes from. Up next: "If you're stopping at a stop sign, and you see a police vehicle, honk your horn so that they notice that you've stopped. They'll come right over and ask to see your licence so that they can thank you for being a good driver. "