You have to STOP Man
Driving in West Virginia is a world away from driving in the Netherlands. I’m pretty sure I could write an entire series of blog posts on the differences, but today I want to talk about my greatest enemy: the Stop Sign.
In the Netherlands, we have a logical system. We have roads with right-of-way, or—generally speaking—traffic coming from the right has priority. It’s a flow. Here? It’s an abrupt halt.
This octagonal piece of metal is the bane of my existence. My wife has taken to shouting “STOP SIGN!” at least ten times every time I get behind the wheel, because apparently, my Dutch brain still thinks a "slow roll" is plenty. I just don't see the logic!
The first thing I had to learn is that if you don’t have a stop sign, you can basically assume the crossing roads do. Even so, I still find myself squinting at the side of the road, looking for that red shape on the other street just to be sure I'm not about to get T-boned.
But when there is a sign for you, the rules are strict. You can't just slow down and check for traffic. No—you have to come to a complete, dead stop for a few seconds. And then things get really weird: The 4-Way Stop.
In theory, it sounds polite: Everyone stops, and the person who got there first goes first. On a quiet country road, it’s fine. But add multiple lanes and heavy traffic, and it becomes a guessing game. Combine that with the fact that many drivers here seem to treat turn signals as optional equipment, and you’ll find yourself waiting for someone to turn, only to realize they’re going straight—or vice versa. You end up waiting for nothing.
Even more frustrating is being stuck behind a local. In the Netherlands, driving is quick and agile. Here, it’s… leisurely. I’ll be behind someone who reaches a stop sign with 100 yards of clear visibility in every direction, and they’ll still stop, look around as if they’re admiring the scenery for the first time, and then slowly crawl away. Meanwhile, I’m right on their bumper—at least until my wife says something about my "aggressive" Dutch tailgating!
I get that some intersections genuinely need them for safety, but in general, it just feels like they kill the flow of traffic and create a lot of unnecessary brake noise and exhaust.
I know that eventually, I’ll see those blue lights in my rearview mirror. I know I should be a "good boy," admit I was wrong, and tell the officer they are right… I just hope I have the inner strength to do it without arguing about Dutch traffic efficiency!
