Rusty Saber: Some choose to ignore signs, but only once

It's true, signs can dominate our lives. Do this, don't do that; go here, don't go there; do this and live; do that and you'll die. Some signs we heed, some we may not heed. For sure, signs try to keep us in line, some may even try to save our lives.

Traffic signs make up the majority of signs that try to herd us around and maybe even save our lives. Some signs we pay attention to, others may be ignored.

I'm not sure which traffic sign is the most crucial for preserving life and limb. The sign on the back of a semi-trailer truck saying "If you can't see my rearview mirrors, I can't see you" is commendable advice when your car is the tiniest competitor among enormous trucks in a game of high-speed freeway tag. Another life saver is "wrong way," when posted at freeway exit ramps, which must not be confused with entry ramps. The aggressive "wrong way" beats the wimpy "do not enter."

A case could be made for "no smoking" at gas pumps as a vital life saver. This is a sign that would only be ignored once. "Slippery when wet" can prove helpful during a rainstorm. It's also an admission that somebody goofed and allowed the highway to be constructed with materials that are slippery and dangerous when wet.

When road work is in progress, the sign "left (or right) lane ends ahead" may be seen. To many drivers it means to wait until the absolute last nanosecond before merging into the other lane, forcing the car already there to share the lane or swerve on to the shoulder.

"Left turn on arrow only" and "right turn on red after stop" may produce opposing actions, but not those intended. The former sign may be ignored by a driver who turns left even in the face of oncoming traffic; another driver may ignore the latter sign and not go anywhere, but will sit with right turn signal ablaze waiting for the red light to turn green.

The pedestrian crosswalk sign doesn't have words, there's a drawing of a person walking. It's quite obvious to even the most dense of drivers that they are required to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks. Do you know what pedestrians are called who trust drivers to obey the law and stop for them? Give up? They are called accident statistics.

Stop signs are intriguing. Most drivers run them with abandon. In residential neighborhoods, some may or may not slow down before running through them. Unless a police car is on the scene, they will not actually come to a stop; they seem to believe that stop means "stomp thoroughly on pedal." Although stop signs are frequently ignored, four-way stop signs are perhaps the most obeyed of all signs, traffic or otherwise. Drivers who never obey other traffic signs stop and wait their turn before proceeding.

I can think of no other example of such chivalrous driving behavior as four-way stops. However, these same considerate drivers will run the first red light they come to or zip in front of oncoming traffic even though the turn arrow is no longer green. "No parking" is an innocuous sign that is nearly always obeyed, unless the sign is near a school when parents are delivering their kids to school or picking them up. People who wouldn't dream of defying traffic signs will disregard anything standing between them and depositing or picking up their kids. Don't believe me? Drive by any elementary school at either of these times; try to keep track of the number of traffic signs, "no parking" and otherwise, you see being ignored. Hold that thought. You may get in the way, never again to be heard from.

Not a traffic sign, but "no trespassing" is unique because it has two distinct meanings. To a landowner it means "stay out." To a trespasser it means "Climb over the fence and make yourself at home. Build a fire and shoot some cattle. Heck, we put this sign up just for exercise." This interpretation may eventually lead another sign: "Absolutely no trespassing! Violators will be prosecuted and/or shot whichever comes first!"

(Joe McAdoo is a former chairman of the communication department at Drury University and a Springfield public relations consultant.)