Drivers keep coming across the infamous Maine Walmart STOP sign

A simple stop sign outside a Walmart in Auburn, Maine, terrorizes local residents who can’t seem to stop crashing into it, so much that one woman in her obituary asked for it to be removed.

Local Police Chief Jason Moen said police have responded to pole accidents at least 130 times since 2020. The city’s fire chief called it “an excessive number of emergencies.”

It’s unclear why such a staggering number of people managed to hit the bright yellow pole, but he lives in shame in his community and beyond thanks to social media.

The pole (one of two) strikes again! Visible in the distance (right) in the Walmart parking lot in Auburn, Maine is the second devastating stake, which is also bent

The pole, which has caused more than 130 accidents along with its twin across the parking lot, was recently redesigned to give motorists at least half a chance to avoid the Walmart parking lot fixture

A variety of media outlets have reported on the magnetic force the pole appears to be exerting on local cars.

In fact, the sign has become so well known that people drive to the sign, hopefully avoiding it, to see it in person and take selfies with it.

A 9-year-old girl went viral after asking her mother to take her to the Pole after a roller-skating trip for her birthday.

There is also a Facebook group with more than 7,500 members called The Auburn Walmart Pole Strikes Again.

And in 2021, the pole even earned a spot in a local woman’s 2021 obituary, which asked mourners for Janet Morse to donate in lieu of flowers “to the removal of the infamous Walmart maroon column that led to the needless destruction of.” has countless vehicles.”

Since the mast began its reign of terror over local vehicles, it has taken on several different appearances, each apparently designed to steer drivers away from it.

At one point it was wrapped in a bright green neon plastic wrap to help drivers avoid it. The shell was subsequently stolen and found on the side of a nearby road.

The sleeve made trips around town for a time and was positioned in front of a number of local businesses, which helped establish the local legend of the pole, according to a short documentary a resident made about the phenomenon.

The local police chief said some incidents, like cars landing on the pole, are difficult to track down

Jeydon-Xavier Smith, the 22-year-old former Walmart employee who founded the Facebook group, told the Boston Globe he has “no idea” why the post gets hit so often.

“I drove into this parking lot so many times, right by this very pole, and I never hit it!” he said.

However, he felt that having a place where people could come to discuss the strange activities around the pole could be something.

He formed the group in October as a joke. As of January, it had more than 2,000 followers, and that number has more than tripled since then.

Chief Moen said that although no serious injuries were caused by the pole, “we had cars rolling sideways after hitting the pole, somehow a car ended up on top of the pole (we never got to figure out how that actually happens ).’

He also said there are actually two posts in the parking lot that are equally badly placed and are a victim of local vehicles.

For a time, the mast featured a neon green plastic cover to help drivers avoid it. It didn’t work and was quickly stolen and placed outside various shops around town to spread the local legend

One theory has it that the bright yellow pole is secretly a magnet, using its powers to pull cars straight onto a collision course, although there’s no evidence to support this

Locals aren’t sure why Walmart is so adamant about keeping the poles up, and also believe that no action taken to help cars avoid them will ultimately make as much difference

The real reason so many drivers fell victim to the Walmart bars is a combination of poor placement, distracted and impatient drivers, and miscalculated turns.

To at least help drivers see the pylons, they have now been painted bright yellow, surrounded by concrete barriers and given bright red and white lights.

However, truly religious locals are skeptical that the new national costume of Poles will help.

“It’s not going to change anything,” a local newscaster said earlier this month.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk