Years ago when I moved into a new neighborhood, I was exploring different routes to drive to my new house. After only a short while, perhaps even just a few days, a stop sign showed up at an intersection with another residential street on one of the routes I was beginning to favor. I believed it was new, but with so much new to me at the time, I wasn’t sure. Of course, as I continued to drive that route, I got accustomed to stopping at that intersection.
A few months later, I witnessed a minor traffic accident there. I hung around to offer my statement to the investigating police officer. I overheard one of the drivers explain with sincerity but also with incredulity, “Where did that stop sign come from? I’ve driven by this corner every day for years and it was never here before.” After conferring with the officer, I learned that indeed the stop sign had been installed during my first week in the area. This driver was so accustomed to that route with no stop sign, that even months later he failed to recognize that it was there.
