Law regarding stopping at stop signs. (United States)?

Question

Let's assume a couple of things. One, no other traffic in the area. Two, your at a T intersection. If two cars in the same lane traveling in the same direction come to a stop sign at the same time. The first car drives past the stop line and then stops before entering the intersection. Car two arrives at the same time and stops at the stop line.....So, they both stop at the same time but car 1 stops past the stop sign and car 2 stops at the stop sign.

Can car 2 go at the same time as car 1 (legally) since car 1 actually ran the stop sign and car 2 stopped at the stop sign.

Answer 1

You are supposed to stop at the designated marking. If there isn't any, you should stop so you can see if there is any other traffic coming from your left or right. The driver on the right should have the right of way, but that is only a courtesy call. There will always be someone who wants to go first. Use common sense, and there won't be an accident.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_sign
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/rules_of_the_road/rr_chap03.html

Answer 2

Stop Sign Laws

Answer 3

No, car 2 should wait until car 1 has cleared the intersection before proceeding. Reason being that if anyone had come to the intersection in a different direction, they might not see car 1 past the stop sign and go just as soon as car 1 goes, which might cause a wreck with car 2.

It reminds me of my old aunt (dead over 20 years lol), she would drive us kids around during the summer. When she'd come to a stop at a 4-way stop sign with a car in front of her, she'd go just as soon as they went. We'd all yell "you're supposed to stop at a stop sign Auntie" and she'd calmly state "I did stop, back there, just like it said" lol

Of course, this is the same Auntie who drove down the middle of the road, nevermind the stripes. She'd tell us "I always take my half out the middle"

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Law regarding stopping at stop signs. (United States)?
Let's assume a couple of things. One, no other traffic in the area. Two, your at a T intersection. If two cars in the same lane traveling in the same direction come to a stop sign at the same time. The first car drives past the stop line and then stops before entering the intersection. Car two...

Answer 5

the way you are describing it sounds like the two cars are going in the same direction on a two lane or 4 lane street. two lanes go north and two go south. the two cars can go whenever the road is clear. the law only states that you should stop first then proceed when the road is clear. it dosent matter who goes first if both cars are next to each other and going in the same direction. you can't assume the person is drunk just because he missed the stop sign. you won't get a ticket unless you fail to come to a complete stop before moving on. many times I will be destracted and fail to stop in front of the stop sign, thats happen to everyone. just proceed when the coast is clear. I think alot of people here are thinking that car 1 is in front of car 2 when actually you are saying car1 is beside or next to car 2 at the stop sign. both can proceed whenever they want but I agree with the other posters, that the car that skidded to a stop past the stop sign. I would let go first because I can't predict how reckless he may be as a driver or maybe he's in a hurry?

Answer 6

Robert you are 100% correct. Not one person really read or took the time to understand the question.

I have seen this many times and think that the the second car should just wait until the first car has left the intersection. I have been involved as the second car so many times and I just wait an extra second since I'm already stopped. Not sure how a judge would see it but an officer seeing this should ticket the first vehicle for not stopping at the legal mark. Just my $0.02 worth.

Answer 7

WOW..

It never ceases to amaze me how many people will answer questions without reading them thouroughly enough to even begin to answer them honestly.

Especially the self-proclaimed badge-bearers of grand experience.

It makes you wonder just how many people they helped to falsely convict of crimes that were never actually committed, doesn't it?

My answer is no, because regardless of whether or not car 1 ran the stopsignline, car two must wait for the intersection to become completely clear of traffic in his/her lane before he/she may procede.

Orbach has the only other decent answer, and his answer is also another way that the driver of Car 2 could be ticketed for not remaining stopped until a while after Car 1 had left.

Avoid those answers from Kcv and Cgi, though.

Kcv simply spat out the rules he/she/it is most familiar with, without realizing that your scenario fits within the scope of what somebody following a breaker of his rule #3 is supposed to do afterwards.

Cgi doesn't appear to realize that your question isn't even remotely beginning to suggest any kind of cross-traffic or any other potential collision factor.

One thing to remember though, is that Car 1 is not necessarily going to be ticketed, because at any intersection where there is a stop sign so far in advance of the intersection that a whole car can pass the stopsignline without entering the intersection, unless Car 1 is some sort of micro-mini circus-clown car, the stop sign is TOO FAR BACK form the intersection to be a legal stop sign.

I have some friends in Beaverton, Oregon, who live on a street with just such an intersection. The reason the stop sign isn't placed right at the intersection is that when the street is icy, you can't get started going forward again due to the tilt of the street, and you wind up losing traction and sliding back into whatever car might be behind you. So, they decided to put the stop sign about one and a half car lenghts in front of that intersection, and everybody in the neighborhood just plain knows that in icy situations, anybody arriving from that direction will just plain be driving on through the intersection, and nobody's lost when going to court over tickets at that intersection, because that sign is not a legal stop sign.

But, it does remind everybody to look out for traffic and to stop when the streets aren't icy, which is, after all, it's whole purpose: to promote safety.

Answer 8

I do it all the time. I'm the number 2 car you describe, just about daily.

You meet the standards of the laws, but...

Would a cop write that up? Yes, if they were a citation cop and that was their bread and butter enforcement action.

Could you fight it? Yes, and hopefully any sane judge would find on your behalf. You are, after all, following the letter of the law.

Would you possibly get a judge that believes you're not following th spirit of the law? Very possible.

Best bet, wait a full second.

Answer 9

As I was taught, stop, look both ways, then proceed with caution. If you don't stop again, after the car in front has gone, then you've disregarded what you were taught because you were actually looking at the rear end of the car in front of you and not left to right to recheck for oncoming traffic. That's how accidents happen.

Answer 10

The point of the stop signs are to prevent wreaks. If both cars stop at the stop sign at the same time and one of them stops slightly past it, then the one that stopped slightly past it should be allowed to go first. Its called common sense. For all one knows, the car that stopped slightly past the stop sign could be a drunk etc.. If you want to take a chance with car 1, then go ahead but you might get in a wreak because car 1 is an imbecile.