Every day on my morning commute, there is this stop sign where I make a right turn. Because of the geometry, you can see far, far to the left for quite awhile when approaching the stop sign. So often, I can clearly see, after having at least 5 seconds to monitor the traffic, that there is no one coming. Yet legally, I have to come to a complete stop before continuing on my way. Stopping versus slowing down adds to the wear and tear on my brakes and requires more fuel to return to normal speeds from a complete stop.
Now to the stop sign's defense, you can't see traffic coming from the right very well, so if you were to make a left turn, it would be prudent to stop and smell the exhaust, so to speak. This particular stop sign in question is a three-way, but if it were a four way, then a stop sign would also be a good idea for straight-through traffic.
So, I have a solution to make it a win-win for everybody. Behold- the Stield sign! The left half of the sign looks like a stop sign and has the ST of STOP. This indicates that you stop when turning left or going straight. Now, the right hand side is in the shape of a yield sign and has the IELD of YIELD. This indicates that you don't have to come to a complete stop to turn right, traffic permitting.
Benefits to consumers:
- Increased fuel-efficiency when making right turns
- Less wear-and-tear on brakes
- Less average wait time for cars ahead of you to to turn right
- Increased driving satisfaction - no one like to stop when there's no need
- Less pollution generated by stop signs because of above benefits
- Confusing old people when they have to take a test to renew their license
- Potentially reduced margin of safety
- Potentially less revenue from city police departments from traffic violation fines
Who's with me?!
