Ben, As you approach what is now a STOP sign especially on snow and or ice it is much safer to slow to a speed that allows you to easily stop if there is traffic but maintaining even a very small amount of speed allowes a much quicker and safer movement into a road where limited time is a factor because of a window of opportunity in traffic. A complete stop is much more hazardous as it takes a driver longer to overcome the inertia of the start. Not to mention the wear and tear on all the cars from all the unnecessary starts and stops. Thank you Ben for allowing me this common sense explanation.