Factors influencing driver behavior at stop sign intersections have only rarely been previously studied, and the little empirical work that has been published, dates from the 1970s. The current research sought to explore some potentially important influences on driver behavior through unobtrusive observations made at two one-way stop sign intersections and two four-way intersections in each of two Northeastern towns over a four-week period in the spring of 1998. A total of 2,390 vehicles were observed at these intersections. Approximately 15% of the sample complied with the legal regulation and came to a complete stop at a stop sign. Of the observed characteristics, only sex of the driver and type of intersection were moderately important in explaining driver behavior. It was asserted that both the necessity of stopping — to avoid an oncoming car, for instance — and a driver’s personal morality play major roles in determining whether a driver makes a complete stop at a stop sign intersection. (Author/publisher)
Abstract