Regulatory sign · MUTCD R1-1
Stop Sign
You must come to a complete stop. The octagon is used for no other sign, so you can recognize it even from the back or when it is covered with snow.
- Shape
- Octagon (eight sides)
- Color
- Red background, white letters and border
What to do
Stop completely before the stop line, before the crosswalk, or before entering the intersection if there is no line. Look left, right and left again, then yield to pedestrians and to traffic already in the intersection. Go only when the way is clear.
Where you see it
At intersections where you must stop, on the right side of the road just before the crossing.
Test trap
Slowing to a 'rolling stop' is not a stop; the test expects a full stop even if no traffic is visible. Also, at a four-way stop the first vehicle to arrive goes first, not the one on the bigger road.
Memory tip: Eight sides, red, STOP — the only octagon on the road.
Practice question
An eight-sided (octagon) red sign means:
- Stop
- Yield
- Railroad crossing
- Do not enter
Answer: A. The octagon shape is used only for the STOP sign.
Road signs: regulatory signs