Q: Don’t people have to come to a complete stop at a stop sign? Maybe the law has changed since I started driving years ago. I seem to see very few drivers stop for a stop sign anymore. Have the traffic laws become so lax that one no longer has to make a dead stop at a stop sign? A: Minnesota State Statute 169.01 subdivision 57 defines “stop” as a complete cessation of movement and has remained unchanged for as long as I can remember. When a stop sign is posted motorists must come to a full stop at the stop sign, at a clearly marked stop line or at the crosswalk. If there is no stop line or marked crosswalk motorists are required to stop before the unmarked crossing area. While Minnesota’s law requiring a complete stop at a stop sign has not become lax, in my opinion many of the motorists using our roadways have. While enforcing this law I have encountered everything from the motorists who believe the “slow and go” is good enough, to the motorists who see posted stop signs as a mere nuisance to be completely ignored. It frequently amazes me how many motorists seem to actually believe that they brought their vehicle to a stop as required at the stop sign. Today, with modern police video recording equipment in many of our squad cars, the violator is frequently able to later view such flagrant violations for themselves, as is the judge should the citation later be contested in court. Of course if no one were seriously injured or killed as a result of a stop sign violation I suspect this violation would not be taken as seriously by law enforcement. Some of the worst crashes I have seen were caused a stop sign violation. I have no problem enforcing stop sign violations for that reason. The typical fine for a stop sign violation in Minnesota now exceeds $100. Unfortunately crashes involving stop sign violations cost many Minnesota families much more.
