Genuine question: are there any states where full-stopping at a stop sign is the norm whether or not anyone is there? I've done a whole lot of cross-country driving and I've never been to a place where the norm is coming to a complete stop even if there is traffic present.
My first time visiting Boston I came to a four-way stop leaving the airport. I was surprised that not a single car came to a full stop in the other three directions. They did not yield to the vehicle on the right as is the norm in my state; since I had come to a full stop, they perceived me as voluntarily yielding the right-of-way. When I explained to a local that the other drivers weren't yielding, the reply was "oh, you didn't come to a full stop, did you? Don't do that.".
I live in SC. For us a full stop is still the norm, regardless of whether there are other cars at the intersection, though this is changing as more people move here from other states. I have seen other drivers make a rolling stop, but nowhere outside of Boston have I ever been penalized by other drivers for obeying the sign.
In SC, the law requires a stop (making no distinction between a full stop and a rolling stop) at a stop sign or red stop light, prior to the intersection, either at the stop line or before the near side of the crosswalk. AFAIK the only provision we have for a rolling stop is for emergency vehicles.
I'm not talking about "if no one is there will you be ticketed", I'm asking where is it the norm to come to a full stop even if there are multiple people at the intersection? In the midwest and southwest it's common to "California roll" through a stop sign, and given the name of the maneuver, I assume this is also common out west.
In my state (SC), the people I personally know who have been ticketed for a rolling stop have typically been the only vehicle at the intersection (sometimes the only vehicle on the entire road). I suspect this is because the infraction is more visible (it's illegal either way afaik).
