Driving

Driving in Biloxi is confusing. To start with, there are sinkholes that resemble the moon’s craters and debris everywhere. What’s worse, there are tons of stop lights that are out and are replaced with stop signs that are put up on temporary bases, a few feet high. These are difficult to see in the best of times, but sometimes they are impossible to see. Suppose a car is waiting to make a left at an intersection. You may have no idea that it is blocking a stop sign. What is even more confusing is that some of the stop lights have started to come back on. So now you have stop signs and stop lights at the same intersection.

Below is a guide about what the conventional wisdom is to do as the stop lights get turned back on:

You have a solid yellow light and a stop sign – This is a weird one, because in real life you are never supposed to have a solid yellow light. The math goes: one confusing symbol and one stop symbol. Stop sign wins. Most people treat it as a stop sign.

You have a blinking yellow light and a stop sign – This is the most common situation. One vote for go slow and one vote for stop. This confuses people. Some average the two and go very slow but do not stop. Some play it safe and stop.

You have a working green light and a stop sign – This is the most gut wrenching decision of all. One vote for stop, one vote for go, a tie. Self interest usually wins. Most people go. Be prepared for the opposing traffic to interpret it differently. Be prepared for the person in front of you to stop if you go, and be prepared to be hit from behind if you stop.