As a general rule I do stop at stop signs, especially in residential areas and double especially if there are a lot of kids in the area. And Triple especially if there are a lot of adults that walk in the area because about half the adults are staring at their damned phone and are far more likely to wander into the street because usually the kids know what they are doing by the time they enter school.
Now let's go out into farm country.
As usual, everything is based on a lowest common denominator/worst case scenario. During the growing season a good farmer uses every square foot of his fields and that means right up to the street corners. The view of the street you are going to cross is blocked and a sigh is warranted. Actually not having a sign there during the growing season would probably be negligence on the part of the municipality/state or whoever is responsible for posting it.
I'm pretty religious about showing caution at an intersection like that for more than one reason. Rural areas are generally 45 mph zones and an accident at speed can be rather painful and damaging.
Now the weather changes, the crops are harvested, the stubble is plowed under and the driver has a view of well over a quarter mile in either direction of the street he has to cross.
A stop sign at that time of year makes little sense except maybe to serve as a warning that one is nearing an intersection and should pay attention.
Still, the usual Official Come to a Complete Stop and count to whatever scenario really doesn't apply here from a practical sense and as often as not, I do slow down. However I seldom come to a complete stop under these circumstances. It serves no useful purpose.
If I had to venture a guess I'd bet that's the way the locals deal with it.
Still, I can't help but wonder if there's a stop sign like that somewhere and some Rural Karen doesn't watch it through a telescope from a distant farm house somewhere, screeching and dialing 911 every time someone doesn't come to the Official and Complete Stop.
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Rural Karens? you ask.
Yeah. Every now and then some 'work from home' type decides to pull a 'Green Acres' and move to farm country. Many of them quickly become a pain in the a$$ for the locals.
Some adapt.
I've read the adventures of one guy that did that. He was no fool, though. He wasn't going to try and pass himself off as a farmer. He was simply an engineer and didn't try to hide it. He said it didn't take him long to fit right in with the people and with the sense of humor he's displayed I can certainly see why.
He leased out his fields at a very reasonable rate to a couple of the locals and even let them store machinery in his barn while it was being used on his acreage. This was actually done just before me moved into the farm house.
He said that almost every time he'd go into town to go shopping he'd don a suit and tie and be pleasant. Needless to say, it wasn't long before someone kidded him and said, "Helloooooo, Mister Douglas!" and the moniker instantly stuck.
Almost instantly he became a respected part of the community because he decided that HE was going to adapt to his surroundings and not demand everyone adapt to him.
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