View source for Stop sign

{{Short description|Traffic sign alerting drivers to stop}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
[[File:STOP sign.jpg|thumb|alt=A red stop sign that alerts drivers to stop|A stop sign in Australia. This style, a red octagon with the word "Stop" in either English or the national language of that particular region, is used by the greatest number of countries]]
[[File:Panneau Stop Square Georges Guyon - Maisons-Alfort (FR94) - 2021-03-22 - 1.jpg|thumb|A circular stop sign in France. The [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] still allows this older style]]

A '''stop sign''' is a [[traffic sign]] designed to notify drivers that they must come to a complete stop and make sure the [[intersection (road)|intersection]] (or [[level crossing|railroad crossing]]) is safely clear of vehicles and pedestrians before continuing past the sign.<ref>Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, 1968. United Nations Publication. {{ISBN|978-92-1-116973-7}}</ref> In many countries, the sign is a red [[octagon]] with the word ''STOP'', in either English, the national language of that particular country, or both, displayed in white or yellow. The [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] also allows an alternative version: a red circle with a red inverted triangle with either a white or yellow background, and a black or dark blue ''STOP''. Some countries may also use other types, such as Japan's inverted red triangle stop sign. Particular regulations regarding appearance, installation, and compliance with the signs vary by some jurisdictions.

==Design and configuration==
The 1968 [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] allows for two types of stop signs as well as several acceptable variants. Sign B2a is a red octagon with a white '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' legend. The European Annex to the convention also allows the background to be "light yellow". Sign B2b is a red circle with a red inverted triangle with either a white or yellow background, and a black or dark blue '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' legend. The Convention allows for the word "STOP" to be in either English or the national language of the particular country. The finalized version by the [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]]'s Conference on Road Traffic in 1968 (and [[coming into force|in force in 1978]]) proposed standard stop sign diameters of 600, 900 or 1200&nbsp;mm (24, 36 or 48 inches).

The United Kingdom and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200&nbsp;mm (about 30, 36 or 48 inches), according to sign location and traffic speeds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tss/tsmanual/tsmchapter3.pdf |title=UK Department of Transport. Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 3: Regulatory Signs |date=9 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601101058/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tss/tsmanual/tsmchapter3.pdf |archive-date=1 June 2010  }}&nbsp;{{small|(2.0&nbsp;MB)}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nzta.govt.nz/consultation/tcd-traffic-signs/index.html New Zealand Transport Agency. Traffic Control Devices Manual: General requirements for traffic signs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117052207/http://nzta.govt.nz/consultation/tcd-traffic-signs/index.html |date=17 January 2015 }}, {{small|(963&nbsp;KB)}}</ref>

In the United States, stop signs are {{convert|30|in|cm}} across opposite flats of the red [[octagon]], with a {{sfrac|3|4}}-inch (2&nbsp;cm) white border. The white uppercase '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' legend is {{convert|10|in|cm}} tall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSm/regulatory.pdf|title=Standard Highway Signs manual, 2004 Metric edition}}</ref><ref name="SHS_English">{{cite web|url= https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSe/Regulatory.pdf |title=Standard Highway Signs manual, 2004 English edition }}&nbsp;{{small|(8.49&nbsp;MB)}}</ref> Larger signs of {{convert|35|in|cm}} with {{convert|12|in|cm|adj=on}} legend and {{convert|1|in|cm|adj=on}} border are used on multi-lane expressways. Regulatory provisions exist for extra-large {{convert|45|in|cm|adj=on}} signs with {{convert|16|in|cm|adj=on}} legend and {{sfrac|1|3|4}}-inch border for use where sign visibility or reaction distance are limited, and the smallest permissible stop sign size for general usage is {{convert|24|in|cm}} with an {{convert|8|in|cm|adj=on}} legend and {{sfrac|5|8}}-inch (1.5&nbsp;cm) border.<ref name="MUTCD03_2B">{{cite web|url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/HTM/2003r1/part2/part2b1.htm#section2B04|title=Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 2003, Section 2B |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration|Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)]] |access-date=11 March 2012}}</ref> The [[SI|metric]] units specified in the US regulatory manuals are [[Rounding|rounded approximations]] of [[United States customary units|US customary units]], not exact conversions.<ref name="SHS_English"/><ref name="SHS_Metric">{{cite web|url= https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSm/regulatory.pdf |title=Standard Highway Signs manual, 2004 Metric edition }}&nbsp;{{small|(8.36&nbsp;MB)}}</ref> The field, legend, and border are all [[Retroreflector|retroreflective]].

Some modern stop signs have flashing LEDs around the perimeter, which has been shown to substantially reduce crashes.<ref>[https://ctre.iastate.edu/research-synthesis/intersections/stop-signs/leds/ Increase Visibility of Stop Signs:&nbsp;LEDs Around Stop Sign Face]</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:Vienna_Convention_road_sign_B2a.svg|B2a
File:Vienna Convention road sign B2a-EA.svg|Acceptable variant of B2a in the European Annex
File:Vienna Convention road sign B2b-V1.svg|B2b
File:Vienna Convention road sign B2b-V2.svg|Acceptable variant of B2b
File:Vienna Convention road sign B2b-V3.svg|Acceptable variant of B2b
File:Vienna Convention road sign B2b-V4.svg|Acceptable variant of B2b
</gallery>

==History==
[[Image:Yellow stop sign.jpg|framed|Yellow U.S. 1924–1954 stop sign]] 
The first stop sign was created in 1914<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-28 |title=The Town Crier: Stop! (part 1) |url=https://www.dailycitizen.news/news/lifestyles/the-town-crier-stop-part-1/article_d2a15854-23ae-11ed-88e0-4fc249f6a2da.html |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=The Daily Citizen |language=en}}</ref> by Detroit police sergeant Harold "Harry" Jackson, who was working as a traffic guard at a busy city intersection. One of the cross streets had a particularly low-visibility turn entering the intersection, almost always forcing Sgt. Jackson to slow down and hold back the traffic entering from that street. Looking for ways to make his job easier, he took a rectangular piece of plywood, cut off the corners to give it a distinct shape, wrote "STOP" over the center and placed facing the street. He noticed that his innovation improved the overall traffic flow through the intersection. After he shared his experience with fellow officers at a meeting, the practice started to spread across the city intersections.<ref name ="slate">{{Cite journal|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2010/05/the-quest-to-design-a-better-stop-sign.html|title=The quest to design a better stop sign|journal=Slate |date=25 May 2010 |last1=Vanderbilt |first1=Tom }}</ref>
The next year, 1915, stop signs were adopted across [[Michigan]].<ref name="signalfan">Signalfan. [http://signalfan.freeservers.com/road%20signs/stopsign.htm History of the Stop Sign in America]. 1997.</ref>{{Better source needed|date=July 2018}}<ref>{{cite news|last1=Greenbaum |first1=Hilary |last2=Rubinstein |first2=Dana |date=9 December 2011|title=The Stop Sign Wasn't Always Red|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/magazine/stop-sign.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> The first ones had black lettering on a white background and were {{convert|24|x|24|in|cm}}, somewhat smaller than the current sign.

As stop signs became more widespread, a rural-dominated committee supported by the [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials|American Association of State Highway Officials]] (AASHO) met in 1922 to standardize them and 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. Another consideration of the AASHO was visibility and driver literacy, as summarized in subsequent State Highway Commission reports in the states of the U.S., was that the goal for signs "standardized throughout the Union" was that "The shape of the sign will indicate what it will mean. This has been worked up very carefully by the best-qualified men in the country and men who have made a thorough study of this question. It has been found that so many people have trouble in reading the sign that the shape of the sign is very much more important than the reading matter on it."<ref>"Seventeenth and Eighteenth Reports of the State Highway Commission to the Governor of Virginia for the Twenty-one months ending June 30, 1925" (Virginia State Highway Commission, 1925) p.37</ref>

The octagon was also chosen so that it could be identified easily at night since the original signs were not reflective.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} The more urban-oriented National Conference on Street and Highway Safety (NCSHS) advocated a smaller red-on-yellow stop sign.<ref name="signalfan" /> These two organizations eventually merged to form the Joint Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which in 1935 published the first [[Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices]] for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) detailing the stop sign's specifications.

The MUTCD's stop sign specifications were altered eight times between 1935 and 1971. From 1924 to 1954, stop signs bore a red or black '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' legend on a yellow field.<ref name="signalfan" /> Yellow was chosen because fade-resistant red materials were not available.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Felton|first1=Ryan|title=Here's Why Stop Signs Are Red|url=https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-stop-signs-are-red-1819456333|access-date=16 October 2017|work=Jalopnik|publisher=[[Gawker Media]]|date=14 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Manaul on Uniform Traffic Control Devices|date=1954|publisher=Department of Commerce|page=2|url=https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/ghawkins/MUTCD-History_files/1948%20MUTCD/1954%20Revision%20to%201948%20MUTCD.pdf|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> [[retroreflector|Retro-reflective]] or self-lit signs were permitted in the 1935 MUTCD; retro-reflective ones were first required by the 1948 edition of the MUTCD, which also called for a {{convert|2+1//2|ft|m|2|abbr=off|adj=on}} height from the road crown to the bottom of the stop sign.<ref>Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 1948 Edition. Part 1A, Section 31. "[A stop sign] shall be mounted so that its bottom will be 2{{frac|1|2}} feet above the crown of the roadway."</ref> The 1954 MUTCD newly specified a white {{Smallcaps|stop}} legend on a red field, and increased the mount height specification to 5 feet in rural areas.<ref name="signalfan" /> Red [[traffic signals|traffic lights]] signify ''stop'', so the new specification unified red as a stop signal whether given by a sign or a light. The current mounting height of {{convert|7|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} was first specified in 1971.<ref name="signalfan" /> 

===US mandate, international adoption===
The MUTCD stop sign was already widely deployed in the United States when the use of other types of stop signs was eliminated in 1966.<ref name="signalfan" /> In 1968, this sign was adopted by the [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] as part of [[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe]]'s effort to standardize road travel across borders. The Convention specifies that '''{{Smallcaps|stop}}''' be written in English or the national language, and also allows a circular sign with red legend. Forty European countries<ref>{{cite web |title=Convention on Road Signs and Signals |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI-B-20&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg3&lang=en |website=United Nations Treaty Collection |publisher=United Nations}}</ref> are party to the convention.

==Stop signs around the world==
[[File:World stop sign shapes.svg|thumb|World map of countries' current and historical stop sign shapes:<br>{{legend|#009664|Octagonal}}
{{legend|#00dc6e|Historically circular, now octagonal}}
{{legend|#ffbe28|Triangular}}
{{legend|#c83737|Historically triangular, now octagonal}}
{{legend|#820082|Circular}}
{{legend|#c0c0c0|Unknown}}]]
[[File:Blue stop sign - hawaii - oct 2015.jpg|thumb|Blue and green stop signs are sometimes used on private property in [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Watanabe |first=June |date=20 September 2006 |title=Malls can erect non-red stop signs |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/09/20/news/kokualine.html |access-date=29 December 2020 |website=Star-Bulletin}}</ref>]]
The red octagonal field with white English-language '''{{Smallcaps|stop}}''' legend is the most common stop sign used around the world, but it is not universal; Japan uses an inverted solid red triangle, for example, and Zimbabwe until 2016 used a disc bearing a black cross. Moreover, there are many variants of the red-and-white octagonal sign. Although all English-speaking and many other countries use the word '''{{Smallcaps|stop}}''' on stop signs, some jurisdictions use an equivalent word in their primary language instead, or in addition. Also, several languages borrowed the English word "stop" a long time ago, such as French, and therefore do not consider it to be a foreign word any more.
The use of native languages is common on U.S. native reservations, especially those promoting [[language revitalization]] efforts,{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} for example, and Israel uses no word, but rather a pictogram of a hand in a palm-forward "stop" gesture.

===Asia===
[[File:Thai Stop Sign.JPG|thumb|left|A stop sign in Thailand.]]
Countries in Asia generally use a native word, often in a non-[[Latin script]]. The sign's shape varies by location, with places such as [[South Korea]], [[Hong Kong]], or [[Taiwan]] using the standard octagon shape, with [[Japan]] using a triangle.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yoh |first1=Kento |last2=Uchiyama |first2=Chiemi |last3=Hung |first3=Pai-Hsien |last4=Doi |first4=Kenji |title=A video-based approach to promote safe driving among foreign visitors to Japan |journal=IATSS Research |pages=139–147 |doi=10.1016/j.iatssr.2018.11.004 |date=1 October 2019|volume=43 |issue=3 |s2cid=115443805 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Europe===
Countries in Europe generally have stop signs with the text {{Smallcaps|stop}}, regardless of local language. There were some objections to this when introduced around the 1970s, but now this is accepted. [[Turkey]] is a notable exception to this, instead using the Turkish word for stop: "dur".

===Latin America===
[[File:Avenida las mitras.jpg|thumb|Stop sign in [[Monterrey]], [[Mexico]].]]
In Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Caribbean and South American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela), signs bear the legend '''{{lang|es|{{smallcaps|pare}}|italic=no}}''' ("stop" in Portuguese and Spanish). Mexico and Central American countries bear the legend '''{{lang|es|{{smallcaps|alto}}|italic=no}}''' ("halt") instead.

===Canada===
[[File:Stop sign quebec city.jpg|thumb|French stop sign in [[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]], along with a diagram underneath showing who else needs to stop.]]
[[Image:Bilingualstopsign.jpg|thumb|[[Bilingual]] stop sign in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada]]
[[File:STOP (232020582).jpg|thumb|Bilingual sign (English and [[Inuktitut]]) in [[Nunavut]]]]
In the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[Quebec]], modern signs read either '''{{lang|fr|{{smallcaps|arrêt}}|italic=no}}''' or '''{{smallcaps|stop}}'''.<ref name="P-010">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtqsignalisation.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/default.asp?operateur=panneau&panneau=P-010 |title=Répertoire des dispositifs de signalisation routière du Québec, Transports Québec |publisher=Mtqsignalisation.mtq.gouv.qc.ca |access-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222121748/http://www.mtqsignalisation.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/default.asp?operateur=panneau&panneau=P-010 |archive-date=22 February 2012  }}</ref> As of 1987, Quebec removed the English ''stop'' from its road signs in favor of ''arrêt''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quebec Calling a Halt To English Stop Sign |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/14/world/quebec-calling-a-halt-to-english-stop-sign.html |access-date=26 August 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=14 May 1982}}</ref> Both ''stop'' and ''arrêt'' are considered valid French words, with France actually using the word "STOP" on its stop signs, and the [[Office québécois de la langue française]] (OQLF) notes that the use of "stop" on stop signs is attested in French since 1927.<ref name="panneau STOP">[http://www.granddictionnaire.com/ficheOqlf.aspx?Id_Fiche=8366697 ''panneau ARRÊT''], Office québécois de la langue française, granddictionnaire.com.</ref> At the time of the debates surrounding the adoption of the [[Charter of the French Language]] ("Bill 101") in 1977, the usage of "stop" was considered to be English and therefore controversial; some signs were occasionally vandalized with red [[spray paint]] to turn the word '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' into "101".<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagesdistributioncanada/4684364804/ Photo] by Flickr.com user "imagesdistributioncanada"</ref> However, it was later officially determined by the OQLF that "stop" is a valid French word in this context, and the older dual '''{{lang|fr|{{smallcaps|arrêt}}|italic=no}}''' / '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' usage is therefore considered redundant and therefore deprecated (''à éviter''). Newly installed signs thus use only one word, more commonly only '''{{Smallcaps|arrêt}}''' in Québec, while '''{{Smallcaps|stop}}''' is seen in predominantly English-speaking areas. The latter version of stop signs has been disagreed upon by some Quebec residents.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quebec activists want English stop signs to 'arret' |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/quebec-activists-want-english-stop-signs-to-arret-1.282999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728151639/http://www.ctvnews.ca/quebec-activists-want-english-stop-signs-to-arret-1.282999 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2017 |access-date=26 August 2023 |work=CTVNews |date=16 March 2008 |language=en}}</ref> Bilingual signs with '''{{lang|fr|{{smallcaps|stop arrêt}}|italic=no}}''' are still placed in areas of [[Alberta]], [[New Brunswick]] and [[Manitoba]]; the [[Acadia]]n regions of [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]; on federal property in the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]]; and at all border crossings of the [[Canada–United States border]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} On [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] or [[Inuit]] territories, stop signs sometimes use the local aboriginal language in addition or instead of English, French, or both, such as [[Inuktitut]] '''{{Smallcaps|notkagit}}'''. All other English-speaking areas of Canada use '''{{smallcaps|stop}}'''.

===Other countries===
[[File:Algerian Stop Sign.jpg|thumb|Bilingual Algerian stop sign in Arabic and in English]]
[[File:030527-2-SaintPetersburg-IMG_0570-2.jpg|thumb|Stop sign used in Russia to indicate to drivers to stop at the line at traffic lights]]
[[File:Stad_Irish_stop_sign.jpg|thumb|Unofficial sign seen in the [[Gaeltacht]] in Ireland. Both {{lang|ga|stad}} and {{lang|ga|stop}} are Irish words for "stop".]]
*Arabic-speaking countries use {{lang|ar|قف}} {{transliteration|ar|qif}} (except for [[Lebanon]], which only uses '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' since 2019).
*Armenia uses '''{{lang|hy|ԿԱՆԳ}}''' {{transliteration|hy|kang}} and '''{{lang|en|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}'''.
*Bangladesh and Nepal use a stop sign with no text.
*Brazil and Spanish-speaking Caribbean and South American nations use '''{{lang|pt|italic=no|{{smallcaps|pare}}}}'''.
*Cambodia uses '''{{lang|km|ឈប់}}''' {{transliteration|km|chhob}}.
*China and Taiwan use '''{{lang|zh|停}}''' {{transliteration|zh|tíng}}, except that Mainland China's sign has a bolder word.
*Cuba still uses an old circular stop sign with a triangle that is used from the [[Yield sign|give way sign]] and black text.
*Ethiopia uses a version of the sign that says '''{{lang|am|ቁም}}''' {{transliteration|am|ḳumə}} and '''{{lang|en|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}'''.
*Hong Kong SAR uses a version of the sign that says '''{{lang|zh|停}}''' {{transliteration|zh|tíng}}, and '''{{lang|en|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}'''.
*Iran and Afghanistan use '''{{lang|fa|ایست}}''' {{transliteration|fa|ist}}.
*Israel and Palestine use a version of the stop sign with a raised hand.
*Japan uses a triangular sign that says '''{{lang|ja|止まれ}}''' {{transliteration|ja|tomare}} and '''{{lang|en|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}'''.
*Laos uses '''{{lang|lo|ຢຸດ}}''' {{transliteration|lo|yud}}.
*Malaysia and [[Brunei]] use '''{{lang|ms|italic=no|{{smallcaps|berhenti}}}}'''.
*Mongolia uses '''{{lang|mn-Cyrl|ЗОГС}}''' {{transliteration|mn|zogs}}.
*Myanmar uses '''{{lang|my|ရပ်}}''' {{transliteration|my|raut}}.
*Nigeria uses a yellow border and text.
*North Korea uses '''{{lang|ko|섯}}''' {{transliteration|ko|sŏt}}.
*South Korea uses '''{{lang|ko|정지}}''' {{transliteration|ko|jeongji}} and '''{{lang|en|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}'''.
*Russian-speaking countries use either '''{{lang|ru|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}''' or '''{{lang|ru|italic=no|{{smallcaps|стоп}}}}''' (i.e. '''{{lang|ru|italic=no|{{smallcaps|stop}}}}''' transliterated into Russian), with the latter marking the place where vehicles should wait at traffic lights (displayed on a white rectangular sign).
*Thailand uses '''{{lang|th|หยุด}}''' {{transliteration|th|yùd}}.
*Vanuatu uses a circular red stop sign.

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:Algeria road sign-B2.svg|alt=Stop sign in Algeria; features Arabic and French|Algeria
File:AM road sign 2.5.svg|Armenia
File:Vorschriftszeichen 24.svg|Austria
File:Bangladesh road sign A1.svg|Bangladesh, Nepal
File:HR road sign B02.svg|Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia
File:Bhutan stop sign.svg|Bhutan
File:BA road sign II-2.svg|Bosnia and Herzegovina
File:Brunei road sign - Stop.svg|Brunei
File:Cambodia road sign R3-01.svg|Cambodia
File:Canada Stop sign Cree.svg|Canada &mdash; Québec (in Cree)
File:CA-QC road sign P-010-fr.svg|Canada &mdash; Québec (in French)
File:SIECA road sign R-1-1.svg|Central America
File:CN road sign 禁 1.svg|China
File:Cuban Stop Sign.svg|Cuba
File:Cyprus road sign - STOP.svg|Cyprus
File:Denmark road sign B13.svg|Denmark
File:Estonia road sign 222.svg|Estonia
File:Ethiopia Stop sign.svg|Ethiopia
File:Finland road sign B6.svg|Finland
File:France road sign AB4.svg|France, Francophone Africa, Haiti, Monaco
File:Zeichen 206 - Halt! Vorfahrt gewähren! StVO 2017.svg|Germany, Czech Republic, Georgia, Latvia, [[Southern African Development Community|SADC]], North Macedonia, Vietnam
File:Traffic Sign GR - KOK 2009 - R-2.svg|Greece
File:Hong Kong road sign 101.svg|Hong Kong SAR
File:Hungary road sign B-002.svg|Hungary
File:Indonesia road sign (Prohibitory) 1a.svg|Indonesia
File:Iran road sign - stop.svg|Iran, Afghanistan
File:IE road sign RUS-027.svg|Ireland
File:Israel road sign 302.svg|Israel, Palestine
File:Italian traffic signs - fermarsi e dare precedenza - stop.svg|Italy, Albania, Burundi, Lebanon, Malta, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Vatican City
File:Jamaica road sign R2.svg|Jamaica
File:Japan road sign 330-A.svg|Japan
File:Laos stop sign.svg|Laos
File:Libyan stop sign.svg|Libya
File:Luxembourg road sign B,2a.svg|Luxembourg
File:Malaysia road sign RP1.svg|Malaysia
File:Macau road sign 15a.svg|Macau SAR, Portugal (1971-1994)
File:MX road sign SR-6.svg|Mexico
File:Jalisco TR-1.svg|Mexico (Jalisco)
File:MN road sign 3.5.svg|Mongolia
File:MA road sign 201 (Arabic).svg|Morocco, Mauritania
File:Myanmar stop sign.svg|Myanmar
File:Nederlands verkeersbord B7.svg|Netherlands, Suriname
File:Nigeria road sign - Stop.svg|Nigeria
File:NO road sign 204.svg|Norway
File:North Korean stop sign.svg|North Korea
File:Pakistan road sign R-01.svg|Pakistan
File:Philippines road sign R1-1.svg|Philippines, Sri Lanka
File:PL road sign B-20.svg|Poland
File:Portugal road sign B2.svg|Portugal, Lusophone Africa
File:RU road sign 2.5.svg|Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
File:Slovenia road sign II-2.svg|Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia
File:202 Stoj, daj prednosť v jazde!.svg|Slovakia
File:Ecuador road sign R1-1.svg|South America, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
File:KR road sign 227.svg|South Korea
File:Spain traffic signal r2, 2023 set.svg|Spain
File:Sweden road sign B2.svg|Sweden
File:CH-Vortrittssignal-Stop.svg|Switzerland, Liechtenstein
File:Taiwan road sign f1.svg|Taiwan
File:Thailand road sign บ-1.svg|Thailand
File:Stop sign (Tunisia).svg|alt=Stop sign in Tunisia; features Arabic and French|Tunisia
File:Turkey road sign TT-2.svg|Turkey
File:Stop sign (United Arab Emirates).svg|United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen
File:UK traffic sign 601.1.svg|United Kingdom, India, Anglophone Africa, Anglophone Caribbean (Lesser Antilles), Mauritius, Seychelles
File:MUTCD R1-1.svg|United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain,<ref>{{Citation |last=Ministerio de la Presidencia, Justicia y Relaciones con las Cortes |title=Real Decreto 465/2025, de 10 de junio, por el que se modifica el Reglamento General de Circulación, aprobado por Real Decreto 1428/2003, de 21 de noviembre, en materia de señalización de tráfico |date=2025-06-17 |issue=Real Decreto 465/2025 |pages=79080–79764 |url=https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/2025/06/10/465 |access-date=2025-07-10}}</ref> Andorra, Belize, Fiji, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Tonga
File:Vanuatu stop sign.svg|Vanuatu
File:RU road sign 6.16.svg|[[Stop line]] in Russia
File:Stop Protisměr.svg|Stop, opposite direction in Czechia
</gallery>

===Historical gallery===
The following are some older stop sign designs:
<gallery class="center">
File:1946 Australian road sign 2.07.svg|Australia (1946–1960)
File:Finland road sign 232 (1957–1971).svg|Finland (1957-1971)
File:Historisches Verkehrszeichen (Deutschland) Halt für alle Fahrzeuge! vor 1937.svg|Germany (before 1937)
File:Bild 30a - Halt! Vorfahrt achten! StVO 1938.svg|Germany (1938-1953 for [[West Germany|FRG]]/1956 for [[East Germany|GDR]])
File:Greek old traffic sign stop neccesary.svg|Greece (before 1982)
File:Hungary road sign B-002 (old).svg|Hungary
File:Italian traffic signs - old - stop.svg|Italy (1959-1990)
File:Japanese stop sign (1950-1960).svg|Japan (1950-1960)
File:Japanese stop sign (1960-1963).svg|Japan (1960-1963)
File:Japan road sign 330-B.svg|Japan (1963-2017)
File:Kenya road sign R01 1975-2009.svg|Kenya
File:Mexico road sign SR-06 (old).svg|Mexico
File:Mexico road sign SR-06.svg|Mexico (until 2023)
File:1933 New Zealand Road sign E01.svg| New Zealand (1933-1966)
File:Old North Korean stop sign.svg|North Korea
File:Znak IIA – 19 (1968).svg|Poland
File:Romanian traffic sign - II-20 Stop 1957.svg|Romania (1957-1961)
File:RomanianTrafficSign 30-Stop 1970.svg|Romania (1970-1971)
File:Dopravná značka P2.svg|Slovakia (until 2015)
File:Pre 1970's SACU Road sign R011.svg|South Africa (1951–1974)
File:Old South African Stop Sign.svg|South Africa (1974–1993)
File:South Vietnam STOP sign.svg|South Vietnam (1955-1975)
File:Spain traffic sign B-300, 1962 set.svg|Spain (1962-1976)
File:Spain traffic signal old r2.svg|Spain (1976-1992)
File:Spain traffic signal r2 1992.svg|Spain (1992-2023){{efn|Still used in Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea.}}
File:Sweden road sign B2 (gammal).svg|Sweden (1951-1976)
File:CH-1979-Vortrittssignal-Stop-nach-bisherigem-Recht.svg|Switzerland (1979-1995)
File:CH-1979-Vortrittssignal-Stop-nach-bisherigem-Recht (1979-2003).svg|Switzerland (1979-2003)
File:Old Taiwan stop sign.svg|Taiwan (1954-1968)
File:Thailand road sign บ-1 (old).svg|Thailand
File:Tonga - STOP sign.svg|Tonga (until 2025)
File:Turkey road sign TT-2 (old).svg|Turkey
File:UK traffic sign 601 (1965–1975).svg|United Kingdom (1965-1975)
File:Stop Sign Detroit 1915 NYT 2011-12-09.jpg|United States, detroit (1915-1925)
File:1927 US road sign W-03 State highway.svg|United States (1927-1935) Used in rural areas
File:1930 road sign 1.02.svg|United States (1930-1935) Used in urban areas
File:1935 US stop sign.svg|United States (1935-1941)
File:1941 US regulatory sign - stop.svg|United States (1941-1954)
File:Zambia R1 (old).svg|Zambia
File:Stop sign in Zimbabwe.svg|Zimbabwe
</gallery>

==Application==
The use of stop signs varies by country. North America and South Africa use [[all-way stop]]s in some intersections unlike in some countries where they are legally prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223943/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-03.pdf|title= Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 3: Regulatory Signs, Section 3.4|publisher=UK Department of Transport|date = 8 September 2008}}&nbsp;{{small|(2.0&nbsp;MB)}}</ref> In a majority{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} of Central Asian countries, as well as Cuba in North America, junctions without traffic lights or roundabouts are controlled by stop signs on minor roads and by [[Priority to the right|white, yellow and black priority diamond signs]] on the major road. In Europe and Australia, stop signs are restricted to places where coming to a dead stop is deemed necessary because of severely limited sight lines. At the vast majority of minor intersections in these countries [[yield sign|give way]] signs or equivalent road markings are used, or the intersections are no-priority; [[roundabouts]] also work on the give way (rather than stop) principle.

===North America===
Stop signs are often used in North America to control conflicting traffic movements at intersections that are deemed not busy enough to justify the installation of a [[traffic signal]] or [[roundabout]]. In the United States, the stop sign is not intended as a [[traffic calming]] device,<ref name="MUTCD03_2B"/> but is meant to be installed mainly for safety or to assign right-of-way. Stop signs may be erected on all intersecting roads, resulting in an [[all-way stop]].<ref name="MUTCD03_2B"/> Some research has concluded that stop signs do not offer measurable safety benefits over the [[give Way|Yield]] approach.<ref>Some factors influencing the road behaviour of vehicle drivers. R.J. Smeed, UK Road Research Laboratory. Operational Research Quarterly, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Birmingham, England, 1952.</ref><ref>"Driver behaviour and accident records at unsignalized urban intersections". Abishai Polusa, Department of Civil Engineering & Transportation Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. June 1984. Available online 4 July 2002.</ref> Other research has concluded that multiway stop signs do not effectively control traffic speeds, and can give rise to negative effects including increased traffic noise and pollution from braking and accelerating vehicles, enforcement problems, and reduced sign compliance.<ref>Bretherton, M. "Multi-Way Stops—The MUTCD Is Correct!" 1999 ITE Compendium
of Technical Papers. Institute of Transportation Engineers, August 1999.</ref>

====On school buses====
{{Main|School bus traffic stop laws}}
[[File:Thomas School Bus Bus.jpg|thumb|An American [[school bus]] displaying front and rear folding stop signs]]
A stop sign on a pivoting arm is required equipment on North American [[School bus#Warning lights and safety devices|school buses]]. The sign normally stows flat on the left side of the bus, and is deployed by the driver when opening the [[Bus doors|door]] for picking up or dropping off passengers. Some buses have two such stop arms, one near the front facing forwards, and one near the rear facing backwards. The stop sign is retroreflective and equipped either with red blinking lights above and below the '''{{smallcaps|stop}}''' legend or with a legend that is illuminated by [[Light emitting diode|LEDs]]. Unlike a normal stop sign, this sign indicates a two-way absolute stop, requiring other vehicles travelling in both directions to remain stopped until the sign is retracted.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

===Europe===
In Europe, stop signs are generally placed at sites where visibility is severely restricted, or where a high crash rate has been noted. In some European countries, stop signs are placed at level crossings to mark the stop line. For most situations, Europe uses the [[yield sign|give way]] sign instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rd.com/article/paris-stop-sign/|title=Here's Why There Isn't a Single Stop Sign in Paris|date=1 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.transparent.com/dutch/dutch-traffic-why-the-stop-sign-is-so-rare-in-the-netherlands/|title=Dutch Traffic: Why the stop sign is so rare in the Netherlands|date=28 June 2018|website=Dutch Language Blog &#124; Language and Culture of the Dutch-Speaking World}}</ref> All-way stops, which are common in North America, are exceedingly rare in Europe. Comparatively, roundabouts and priority to the right intersections are more common.

====United Kingdom====
In the United Kingdom, stop signs may only be placed at junctions with tramways or sites with severely restricted visibility.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/782724/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-03.pdf|title=Traffic Signs Manual|publisher=TSO|year=2019|isbn=978-0-11-553223-8|location=London|pages=18|chapter=Chapter 3: Regulatory Signs|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> Until 2016, each stop sign had to be individually approved by the [[Secretary of State for Transport]].<ref>UK [[Department of Transport]]. [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223943/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-03.pdf ''Traffic Signs Manual'', Chapter 3: Regulatory Signs, Section 3.2, 9 September 2008]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/schedule/19/part/IIn2/paragraph/6/made/data.htm|title=The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> This requirement was removed by the 2016 amendments to the [[Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions]];<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523916/DfT-circular-01-2016.pdf|title=DfT Circular: The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016|year=2016|pages=76|chapter=Annex A|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/362/schedule/19/part/2/made/data.htm|title=The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> the responsibility for approving stop signs now lies with local authorities.

Section 79 of the [[Highways Act 1980]] enables the government to improve visibility at junctions, as by removing or shortening walls or hedges. The Department for Transport considers improving visibility to be preferable to installing a stop sign.<ref name=":0" /> The former UK practice of using "Halt" or "Slow" at Major Road Ahead signs was discontinued in 1965 at the recommendation of the [[Worboys Committee]].<ref>Great Britain. ''Report of the Traffic Signs Committee'' [Chairman, Sir Walter Worboys], 18 April 1963.</ref> Instead of replacing all the old {{Smallcaps|halt}} signs with the new Vienna Convention {{Smallcaps|stop}} sign, the {{Smallcaps|give way}} sign became the standard one at UK priority junctions.<ref>"New traffic signs demonstrated on road at Birmingham." The Surveyor and Municipal Engineer, vol 122, p880, 1963.</ref>

==Compliance requirements==
Laws and regulations regarding how drivers must comply with a stop sign vary by jurisdiction. In the United States and Canada, these rules are set and enforced at the state or provincial level. At a junction where two or more traffic directions are controlled by stop signs, US and Canada practice generally has the driver who arrives and stops first continue first. If two or three drivers in different directions stop simultaneously at a junction controlled by stop signs, generally the drivers on the left must yield the right-of-way to the driver on the far right.

In all countries, the driver must come to a ''complete'' stop before passing a stop sign, even if no other vehicle or pedestrian is visible. If a [[Stop and Yield lines|stop line]] is marked on the pavement, drivers must stop before crossing the line. Slowing but not completely stopping is called a "rolling stop", sometimes nicknamed after a city or region where it is considered endemic (e.g., "Rhode Island roll" or "California stop"<ref>{{cite news |title=Cheaper fines for right turn on red? No way, governor says |first=Mike |last=Rosenberg |newspaper=San Jose Mercury News |date=30 September 2010 |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16222935 |access-date=30 September 2010}}</ref>) – slowing down significantly but not stopping completely at the sign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rolling%20stop?r=14 |title=Dictionary.com definition |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=11 March 2012}}</ref> This partial stop is not acceptable to most law enforcement officials, and can result in a traffic citation. However, enforcement of this rule varies widely among countries. The automobile manufacturer [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]] removed a "rolling stop" feature from its self-driving software after the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]] complained the practice is unsafe and illegal everywhere in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tesla recalls autos over software that allows them to roll through stop signs |website=[[NPR]] |date=February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510183841/https://www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1077274384/tesla-recalls-autos-over-software-that-allows-them-to-roll-through-stop-signs |archive-date=2023-05-10 |url-status=live |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1077274384/tesla-recalls-autos-over-software-that-allows-them-to-roll-through-stop-signs}}</ref>

In some countries such as Czechia and Russia, stopping is required only at a place where a driver has a sufficient view into the intersection, not at the border of the intersection (where a "STOP" line is not present). Therefore, if multiple drivers come from the same direction and all of them stop at appropriate place, they can continue without stopping again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.autoskolaprikasky.cz/news/musim-na-stopce-zastavit-za-dalsim-vozidlem/|title=Musím na stopce zastavit za dalším vozidlem? :: Autoškola Příkaský|website=www.autoskolaprikasky.cz|access-date=31 July 2020|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927032626/https://www.autoskolaprikasky.cz/news/musim-na-stopce-zastavit-za-dalsim-vozidlem/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Bicyclists===
{{main|Idaho stop}}
In some jurisdictions, such as the U.S. state of [[Idaho]], the [[traffic code]] allows for bicyclists approaching a stop sign to slow down and yield to conflicting traffic, then proceed without stopping unless safety requires a full stop.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bicycle-related Idaho Code|url=http://itd.idaho.gov/bike_ped/Idaho_Vehicle_Code_for_Bikes.pdf|work=Idaho Vehicle Code Title 49, Chapter 7|publisher=Idaho Transportation Department|access-date=7 February 2013}}</ref> The Idaho law has been in effect since 1982 and has not been shown to be detrimental to safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bikeleague.org/content/bike-law-university-idaho-stop |title= Bike Law University: Idaho Stop |publisher=The League of American Bicyclists |date= 22 August 2013 }}</ref> Since 2017, more states have implemented changes to the law similar to Idaho's: [[Delaware]] (2017),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Delaware Code Online|url=https://delcode.delaware.gov/title21/c041/sc12/index.html|access-date=2021-03-23|website=delcode.delaware.gov}}</ref> [[Oregon]] (2020), [[Washington (state)|Washington]] (2020), [[Utah]] (2021) and [[North Dakota]] (2021). Cyclist advocacy groups have sought similar "[[Idaho stop]]" laws for other jurisdictions in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last=Maus|first=Jonathan|title=Exclusive: BTA will go for "Idaho style" stop sign law|url=http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/14/exclusive-bta-will-go-for-idaho-style-stop-sign-law-13382|work=BikePortland.org|date=15 January 2009|access-date=7 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Idaho-style STOP law|url=http://www.sfbike.org/?idaho|publisher=San Francisco Bicycle Coalition|access-date=7 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cano |first=Ricardo |date=2021-09-18 |title=California cyclists could treat stop signs as yields if 'Idaho Stop' bill becomes law |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/California-cyclists-could-treat-stop-signs-as-16468180.php |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Disadvantages==
Stop sign placement can pose difficulties and hazards in applications where cross traffic is not controlled by a sign or light. Relatively long distance between the stop sign and the crossroad facilitates accurate perception of the speed of approaching cross traffic, but lengthens the time and distance required to enter and clear the junction. Relatively short distance between the stop sign and the crossroad shortens the time required for safe passage through the intersection, but degrades the ability of the stopped driver to accurately perceive the speed of approaching cross traffic. Specifically, drivers approaching an intersection from beyond the [[Visual acuity#Subtended angular velocity detection threshold (SAVT)|subtended angular velocity detection threshold (SAVT)]] limit may be perceived by a stopped driver as standing still rather than approaching,<ref name="Weinberger">{{cite journal |title=Conjecture on the Visual Estimation of Relative Radial Motion |author=Hershel Weinberger |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=229 |issue=5286 |page=562 |date=19 February 1971 |doi=10.1038/229562a0 |pmid=4925353 |bibcode=1971Natur.229..562W |s2cid=4290244 |doi-access=free }}</ref> which means the stopped driver may not make an accurate decision as to whether it is safe to proceed past the stop sign.<ref name="looming"/> Whether the distance between the stop sign and the crossroad is officially short or is shortened by drivers creeping past the stop line, they can lose the [[Visual acuity#Lateral motion|visual acuity of lateral motion]],<ref name="JoV">{{cite journal |title=Spatial and temporal limits of motion perception across variations in speed, eccentricity, and low vision. |author1=Joseph S. Lappin |author2=Duje Tadin |author3=Jeffrey B. Nyquist |author4=Anne L. Corn |journal=Journal of Vision |volume=9 |number=30 |pages=30.1–14 |date=January 2009 |doi=10.1167/9.1.30 |pmid=19271900 |quote=Displacement thresholds for peripheral motion were affected by acuity limits for speeds below 0.5 degrees/s.|doi-access=free }}</ref> leaving them to rely on the [[Visual acuity#Subtended angular velocity detection threshold (SAVT)|SAVT]].<ref name="looming">{{cite journal |title=Looming Threshold Limits and Their Use in Forensic Practice |author1=Michael E. Maddox |author2=Aaron Kiefer |journal=Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting |volume=50 |number=1 |pages=700–704 |date=September 2012 |doi=10.1177/1071181312561146|s2cid=109898296 }}</ref> This can make it challenging to accurately estimate the movement of approaching cross traffic.<ref name="looming"/><ref name="Weinberger"/> According to recent game-theoretical analysis, at intersections where all directions face stop signs, drivers have strong incentives to run the stop sign. A better solution is to randomly remove one stop sign from all directions, which could lead to significant efficiency gains while ensuring safe traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Jiasun |date=2022-09-14 |title=Four-Way Stops |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4197885 |language=en |location=Rochester, NY|ssrn=4197885 }}</ref>

== Notable events involving stop signs ==

* From the early 1970s to the early 1980s, the stop signs at the intersection of the N-154 ([[Spain]]) and the D-68 ([[France]]), near the Spanish enclave of [[Llívia]], were the centre of a conflict between the French government and Spanish residents known as the [[war of the stop signs]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calvar |first=Andrea Nogueira |date=2014-09-08 |title=The Spanish town that ended up in France |url=https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/09/04/inenglish/1409817452_821710.html |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[All-way stop]]
* [[Assured Clear Distance Ahead]]
* [[Road traffic safety]]
* [[Roundabout]]
* [[Traffic#Rules of the road|Rules of the road]]
* [[Stopping sight distance]]
* [[Traffic psychology]]
* [[Yield sign]]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Stop|Stop signs (gallery)}}
* [http://www.myparkingsign.com/MPS/article_history-of-stop-sign.aspx History of Stop Signs]

{{Traffic signs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stop Sign}}
[[Category:Traffic signs]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:1915 introductions]]
[[Category:Red symbols]]