The fact that nobody reads them and keeps wondering about the rules is because stickied threads are never read in the first place. Most average internet users skip past uninteresting stickied threads, with perhaps the exception of ones that offer BP or something else exciting that hooks people with the title and offers something.

Having a huge bold link on the RP side, above the forum titles, explaining the the rules makes the most sense to me and offers no excuses to people that break them or “didn’t know” because they never saw the sticky.