When did stop signs become suggestions instead of a requirement?

I was waiting outside my friend’s house on the way to the climbing gym this afternoon and over the course of five to ten minutes none of the cars that went through a three-way stop down the road came to a complete stop. Many of them, in particular those that were turning right, barely touched their brakes before going through the intersection. Of those that did touch their brakes, they did what can only generously be described as rolling stops.

On more than one occasion at four-way intersections within a block of where I live I’ve pulled up to the stop sign and come to a full stop only to watch people from the cross street roll through the intersection as though their stop sign didn’t exist. Fortunately, I was paying attention so I didn’t get hit, but less attentive drivers could find themselves in an accident.

This problem has gotten worse over the last couple of years. A little more enforcement of one of the basic rules of the road is probably in order.