Stop sign
A stop sign is a traffic sign, usually erected at road junctions, that instructs drivers to stop and then to proceed only if the way ahead is clear.
This sign is specified (with the text "STOP") in the UN Convention on Road Signs and Signals. It is one of few such signs also used in the United States. The reason for this is that it was invented in the US, and later adopted by the UN, and other countries (see History, below).
Stop signs are not generally required at every intersection, but they are often used to control conflicting traffic movements at dangerous intersections which are not busy enough to justify the installation of either traffic lights or, especially in Europe, a roundabout. In the United States and Canada they are commonly used in residential areas, and near places where children play, as a general safety measure. In these countries it is not uncommon for stop signs to be erected on all three or four intersecting roads.
In the United States, the stop sign is not for use as a traffic calming device.[1] Stop signs are installed mainly for safety reasons and/or to assign right-of-way for a certain direction. The proliferation of stop signs where they are not warranted increases pollution, noise and delay to motorists. To make up for lost time, motorists speed up between the stop signs and may be more inclined to roll through an intersection instead of stopping completely, increasing the disregard for stop signs. Therefore, careful engineering study must be made to see if installing a sign is needed.
Standard sized stop signs are 30" long with a 3/4" white line around the edge. The letters of the stop sign are all 10" tall. Larger signs are used on multilane roadways or where driver reaction to standard sized signs is poor. Oversized stop signs can in some cases reduce crashes caused by drivers ignoring a standard sized stop sign and 'running' the junction.
The following remarks concerning the right-of-way rules at intersections with multiple stop signs apply to the United States and Canada:
- Generally, the driver who stops first continues first.
- If two drivers stop simultaneously at stop signs at a single intersection, the general rule is that the car on the right has the right of way. Common sense applies.
- Stop signs may be augmented with additional information such as a plate bearing the legend "ALL WAY". This is important, because a driver accustomed to negotiating four-way stops may falsely believe when encountering a two-way stop that cross traffic is required to stop. Since the first car to stop has the right of way at a four-way stop, this driver may believe that it is safe to turn in front of the oncoming traffic. Therefore, if there is only a plain stop sign, the assumption has to be that cross traffic will not stop. "ALL WAY" plates are provided on the fail-safe principle that if they are missing (through disrepair, vandalism, etc.) the "more dangerous" message is given.
Stop signs, usually based on an octagonal design, are found all over the world, although in Europe they tend to be used far more sparingly than in North America (with most intersections lacking traffic lights being controlled by give way signs or equivalent road markings), stop signs generally being restricted (on the principle that "familiarity breeds contempt") to situations where coming to a dead stop is absolutely essential because of poor visibility at the intersection concerned. In all countries, the driver must actually stop at stop signs even if no vehicles or pedestrians are visible. However, some drivers practice an illegal maneuver known as a rolling, "Chicago," or "California" stop: slowing down significantly but not stopping completely at the sign. Even a maneuver known as a "Jakarta" stop, similar to the Chicago or California stop but with a momentary pause is not acceptable to most law enforcement officials.
Yield signs ( or "Give way" signs in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong), on the other hand, require the driver only to slow and prepare to stop, but do not require an actual stop if the way ahead is clear.
The intentional removal of stop signs began in the 1980s as a college prank and, today, one may find illegally obtained stop signs hanging in the occasional college dorm room. The intentional removal of stop signs from their posted locations is a crime in the U.S. states. Moreover, a fatal accident caused by someone removing a stop sign on purpose could result in manslaughter charges against the offender.
Stop signs are often vandalized in protest-related ways. For example, during the Bush presidency era, the words "War" and "Bush" have been spray-painted on them, giving the meaning "Stop Bush" or "Stop War".
History
Stop signs originated in Michigan in 1915. The first had black letters on a white background and were somewhat smaller than the modern one. As they became more widespread, a committee supported by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) met in 1922 to standardize them, and it selected the octagonal shape that has been used in the United States ever since. The unique eight-sided shape of the sign allows drivers facing the back of the sign to identify that oncoming drivers have a stop sign and prevent confusion with other traffic signs.
In 1924, the sign changed to black on yellow, the predominant color scheme until 1954. Another competing group, the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety (NCSHS), simultaneously advocated an even smaller, red-on-yellow stop sign. All of these signs were typically mounted only two or three feet above the ground.
These two organizations conflicted but eventually combined into the Joint Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which in 1935 published the famous Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) detailing the stop sign's appearance. The MUTCD stop sign was altered eight times between 1935 and 1971, mostly dealing with its reflectorization and its mounting height; the most drastic change came in 1954, when the sign gained its white-on-red color. Red is also the color for stop on traffic signals, unifying red as a stop signal for drivers worldwide.
Although already widespread, use of the MUTCD stop sign passed into law in the United States in 1966. The mounting height reached its current level of 7 ft (2.1 m.) in 1971. They were later adopted by the European Union as part of its effort to standardize road travel across member countries. Since the road signs in Europe was standardized by the UNECE, and this organisation accepted this change, the English stop signs were used (from the 1970s) in most European countries, also in then non EU members like Sweden, Russia etc.
Sign variants
Although English-speaking and all European countries use the original word "STOP" on stop signs, most countries, and sometimes even smaller political districts, prefer to use a roughly equivalent word in their primary language instead; its appearance is otherwise the same of white text on a red octagon. The few known exceptions include Israel (which uses a solid white octagon, on a red octagon) and Japan (which uses the local word for Stop in white type on an inverted solid red triangle).
See also
External links
- History of the Stop Sign in America
- Stop Signa Photo Gallery
- A Collection of Stop and Yield Signs
- Road and Traffic Signs from Israel