No Cop, no stop. That seems to be the trend these days. Rolling through a stop sign or rolling through a red light to take a right turn is also referred to as a California rolling stop or a California roll. Coincidentally, that’s my favorite Sushi. Drivers Education instructors teach new drivers to count three seconds before leaving a stop sign or taking a right turn at a red light. Although the law does not require that you stop for a certain amount of time, the law requires that your car settles. But three seconds will insure that your car has settled and will keep you from getting a citation. Some instructors teach students to count five seconds. But I believe three seconds is adequate. If you make someone behind you wait for an extra two seconds, you’re the Devil. At the very least, they may honk at you, hoping to wake you from your slumber. Or, thinking you may be finishing up a text message, they may twist on you and ignite a road rage fueled gun battle. And people do pull guns on each other over trivial things such as this. Now with new concealed carry laws, nearly everyone will be carrying a gun. Maybe we’ll even start seeing gun racks with rifles in the back window of pick-up trucks again, just like back in the 70’s. Not in all states, though. No such gun laws exist in California. So, perhaps in Northern California, we’ll start seeing wine racks in the back window of pick-up trucks. It’s just a thought…
Typically, citizens who get a camera light bill in the mail from a photo-enforced intersection, aren’t blowing through a red light. They are usually taking a right turn on red and rolling through the red light. So, teaching new drivers to count three seconds to make certain their car has settled has certainly saved them from getting cited for a California roll through a stop sign, having their insurance rates increase due to those citations, and possibly even preventing them from causing a crash.
So, don’t forget, even if there is no Cop, you still need to come to a complete stop. It will, at the end of the day, save you money, and grief and maybe even save your life.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Rolling Stop – Comedy Defensive Driving