stop

Yes folks, that sign means you, in the car, should stop. I was walking home today and I almost got hit by a maroon Mercury Sable. I was crossing the street in a crosswalk at a 4-way stop and saw this car coming at the intersection pretty fast, so I paused in the middle of the road. Completely expecting the driver to blow the stopsign, I left enough safety room, but she slammed on her brakes at the last moment and skidded to a halt in the spot where I would have been had I not anticipated this. Hand over her mouth (aghast), she watched as I smiled politely at her and calmly walked around her car and continued on my way.

I know it's a Tuesday afternoon, and drivers are in a hurry to get home, but honestly. Stop if you see a red octagon, or at least when there's a ped in the road.

I swear, most drivers in this town have installed an SEP field on everything outside their car. Some stop at 2-way stops when they are the non-stop direction. Some blow through 4-ways. I don't care that they're not following the rules, I care that they're often not paying attention. I especially care when crap like this happens and the driver blames the person walking. Honestly, would I step into the road if I thought you would hit me?