A stop sign means you must come to a complete stop at the marked stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection. “Complete stop” means the wheels of your vehicle stop turning and all forward motion ceases. It’s not enough to slow down – you have to actually stop.
After stopping, you must yield to any traffic or pedestrians already in or approaching the intersection:
If it’s a 2-way stop (cross traffic doesn’t stop), you yield to the cross traffic which has the right-of-way.
If it’s a 4-way stop (all directions have stop signs), then it becomes an order-of-arrival and/or right-hand-rule situation. Typically, the first vehicle to stop should go first. If multiple vehicles arrive at the same time, yield to the vehicle on your right. If you’re on the right, you have the right-of-way (among those who arrived together). If facing another car head-on and both arrived together and one is turning, the one going straight typically goes first.
Only proceed through the intersection after you’ve stopped and determined that it’s your turn and it’s safe. Keep in mind pedestrians in crosswalks always have the right-of-way at a stop sign.
Stop signs are usually placed at intersections to assign right-of-way and prevent collisions. Running a stop sign (not stopping) is illegal and very dangerous; it can result in broadside collisions because cross traffic expects you to be stopped.
So, remember: Stop sign = Stop, then proceed when safe and it’s your turn. Always err on the side of caution if there’s confusion at a 4-way stop (for instance, if you’re unsure who stopped first, communicate with gestures or just wait – a brief pause won’t hurt, but jumping ahead when it’s not your turn might).
