Most people believe you are required to stop where the stop sign is located. This is NOT CORRECT!! You required to stop before ENTERING the intersection, NOT where the sign is located!! Failure to yield at a stop sign, is the number one cause of intersection crashes. Outside of not stopping completely, not stopping correctly is the major contributing factor in those crashes. The most common excuse after a crash is, “I didn’t see the other car”!! A correct stop requires bringing the car completely to a halt, where you can see the cross traffic. The reason most people are taught to stop where the sign is located, is because it’s very easy to teach, and it’s easy to remember; but it is NOT correct, and leads to crashes.
There is nothing in the law requiring a stop where the sign is located. If you stop at the sign, and cannot see cross traffic, and then enter the intersection without making another stop where you can ACTUALLY SEE the cross traffic, you WILL eventually pull out in front of another car! If the other driver isn’t paying attention, they won’t see you, and you will get hit!
For your reference, the law is Wisconsin Statute number 346.46 (2) which says, If there is a stop line, the driver MUST stop just BEFORE crossing the line. If there is NOT a stop line, the driver MUST stop just BEFORE the crosswalk. If there is no stop line or there is no crosswalk the driver must stop BEFORE the edge of the intersection! If you really don’t want to crash, the single most important part of the law is; If the driver cannot clearly see cross traffic when stopped at, either the stop line, or the crosswalk, they MUST stop again at the point where they can clearly see the traffic on the cross street.
SUMMARY
- If there is a stop line, the driver MUST stop just BEFORE crossing the line.
- If there is no stop line or there is no crosswalk the driver must stop BEFORE the edge of the intersection!
- If the driver cannot clearly see cross traffic when stopped at, either the stop line, or the crosswalk, they MUST stop again at the point where they can clearly see the traffic on the cross street.
