Inspired from the "illegal downloads" thread (and a Just For Laughs vignette I once saw), this question came to my mind.
If you were driving on a roadway in Saskatchewan, with flat land all around, and you could see that there were no other cars for miles and miles (and no police watching you), and you came up to a stop sign, would you stop? If you came to a red light would you stop? If the red light stayed red for a long time, at what point would you go through it? Would you sit there indefinitely? It would be interesting to see if and how this behaviour correlates with religious belief, political ideology, place of birth, and other measures.
Let me share a story, which really happened to me.
Many years ago, when my husband and I had had not long met, he came to visit me in the town where I was studying.
We had gone out in the evening and walked back through the town after dark.
The high street was deserted, not a car in sight.
There was a pedestrian crossing which was controlled by traffic lights. We wanted to cross the road and the light was red.
Like I said, there was no car in sight (and the road could be clearly seen to both sides of the crossing)
This is what happened:
My husband looked up and down the street, saw that there was no traffic and crossed.
I saw the red light and stopped!
When my husband got to the other side he turned around, realising that I was not with him. We looked at each other across the road, both with with expressions which said "What on earth are you doing??!"
(We still laugh about it now! )
Make of that what you will.
Blame my Catholic upbringing and/or my law-abiding German genes, and my husband's non-churched rebellious punk-tainted British upbringing!
As for your specific question, I would certainly wait for a while. Difficult to say how long ...
(In the last 20 years I have learned to cross a red pedestrian crossing (still tinged with a hint of guilt though LOL), but a car crossing - now that would be different!!
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
I would totally go through the red light after three to five minutes, if not less. <--- But hey, at least I'm honest! It would mean the light isn't functioning properly, and based off that, I would assume I am free to go through the red light. Time is of the essence!
I confess, I am a rule follower. I would certainly stop at the stop sign and at the red light as well. I would sit at the red light or else find an alternate route. I have sat at red lights in the past.... and sat..... and sat.... and sat....... I have sat at red lights that have stayed red while all other lights around it changed. I have backed up and forward in case they had a "trip" place that I missed. I have tried the flashing my high beams trick. I have done many things, and yet still sat. After a time and all else fails, I have turned right on red (which is legal) then turned into the nearest parking lot or side road to turn around.
I know that I probably sound silly to some people here.
My soul waits silently for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
Most people I know don't stop at stopsigns, even in major cities with traffice present -- at best they come to a slow roll with their foot lightly resting on the brake and then accelerate away. In the middle of Saskatchewan, with clear vision that no one was coming from any direction, I would probably practice the same method of "stopping".
If you came to a red light would you stop?
Yes.
If the red light stayed red for a long time, at what point would you go through it?
Eventually, when I had convinced myself that the light was broken, I would indeed proceed through it. In intersection in Saskatchewan that you describe, I might reach that conclusion in a minute.
I've had a similar thing happen to me in the middle of Peoria, Illinois (a city of 130,000) at a major intersection with 3 lanes of traffic in all 4 directions, plus turn lanes. It was a 2 AM in the midst of a major blizzard and the only traffic I had seen in the last 10 minutes was a solitary snow plow on the other side of the median. I arrived at the intersection to find the light for the left turn lane I was entering already red and stopped as normal. I watched the lights for the other non-existant traffic cycle through, and knowing the intersection prepared for it to turn green for me. Strangely it didn't. It stayed red and (in my mind) skipped my turn advancing to allow other lanes to proceed. Well, I thought I might have zoned out and missed my green, so I waited and watched for it to cycle through again. As I anticipated the green, I lifted my foot off the brake and let my car creep forward. But I wasn't given the green light this time either, I was skipped a second time, and had to hit the brake to keep from creeping into the middle of the intersection. By this time I had been sitting at this light for more than 5 minutes. The snowplow I had seen on the other side of the street now was on my side of the street and came up besides me in the normal lanes of traffic to go through the intersection. He stopped for the red light as I had, but only briefly, and when he proceeded to go through it, I did too and made my left turn.
Last edited by Grace Seeker; 01-31-2011 at 06:01 PM.
I would stop initially to assess the situation (a minute at the most). If it is blatantly clear the traffic light is trolling me (i.e there is no traffic for miles and miles and no cops), I would go right on through. Same case with a stop sign.
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
After too many years of habit, I would stop at both. At the stop sign I would look both ways and once I have reaffirmed it is safe to go I would go. With the red light I would do similar, however I would stay stopped about 30 seconds minimum before passing through the non changing red light.
After too many years of habit, I would stop at both. At the stop sign I would look both ways and once I have reaffirmed it is safe to go I would go. With the red light I would do similar, however I would stay stopped about 30 seconds minimum before passing through the non changing red light.
same here. now the question is what if you were driving on the same road, for a 4th or 5th time? would you still wait 30 seconds the 4th time? or would that time decrease?
same here. now the question is what if you were driving on the same road, for a 4th or 5th time? would you still wait 30 seconds the 4th time? or would that time decrease?
If it was happening every time for 3 or 4 times in a row. I would most likely shorten the time I stayed stopped. But I would still stop.
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