What if I told you that I live in a country where we don't really have "STOP" signs? In corners with buildings on it and small side walks (every damm corner in my city (: ) you can't see if there is any car coming on the crossing street, so you approach blinded to almost every corner which means, if you're smart and with little common sense, that you must stop and wait and see if it is safe to go.... but guess what. There are so many awful drivers on the streets and some corners are really scary.
You're right when you say they are a magnet to accidents. I've seen so many that the only relevant ones are the ones I wouldn't like to talk about.
RE: Traffic Koans [Day 17]