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Bad Drivers at Intersections

I find it fascinating that many drivers are too dumb or too uncoordinated to stop before the stop line at an intersection with a traffic signal.

A large percentage of drivers ignore the stop line and pull into the intersection - perhaps because they want to "get ahead", or maybe because they want to "see", or maybe because they don't understand the size of their vehicle.

Sadly for these bad drivers, there are sensors in the roadway that tell traffic signals when to change.  If there is no vehicle triggering the sensors, the lights don't change as fast or at all.  Obviously, vehicles already inside the intersection - such as notably beyond the stop line or in the crosswalk - will not trigger the sensors.  Those drivers have to patiently wait for another vehicle to trigger the sensor.
 
Duh.

I've seen vehicles wait over 5 minutes in an intersection during low-traffic conditions.  You'd think these drivers would figure it out, but they're so ignorant and/or distracted that they never seem to learn.

And, of course, pulling past the stop line can impede vehicles making turns, and can put pedestrians at risk due to restricted visibility.

So why do drivers so often drive past stop line, and therefore past the sensors?   We can only chalk it up to stupidity, driver inexperience, or a lack of driving expertise.
 

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