Question: My husband and I are arguing about the proper way to stop at a stop sign. He insists if you are 20 feet away from the sign and stop, because a car in front of you may have stopped and then pulled halfway out into the intersection and stopped again, your stop 20 feet back constitutes a legal stop and you do not need to stop again before proceeding into the intersection. Can you put it in writing for me? Or better yet, cite the statute? I've bounced around the statute site all evening and not found anything that specifically addresses this. Thanks.
Answer: Minnesota State Statute 169.30 states: "Every driver of a vehicle shall stop at a stop sign or at a clearly marked stop line before entering the intersection, except when directed to proceed by a police officer or traffic-control signal."
A stop sign requires that you come to a complete stop. At a stop sign with a marked stop line, you must stop before the line. At a stop sign with a pedestrian crosswalk you must stop before entering the crosswalk. When you have stopped, yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, bicyclists and traffic before proceeding. If your view of the intersection is obstructed, prepare to stop again for traffic or pedestrians in your path.
If the vehicle in front of you comes to a stop in the improper place, you are still required to come to a stop in the proper position and only proceed when it is safe, and when you have the right of way.
You must also come to a complete stop in the following situations:
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• Before entering a road from an alley, a private driveway, a parking lot, or a parking ramp. Always stop before crossing an adjoining sidewalk or crosswalk.
• At an intersection or crosswalk with a traffic signal displaying a red light. Wait until the signal changes to green and your path is clear before proceeding.
• At a flashing red traffic light. Treat this as you would a stop sign.
• At a freeway ramp meter, when the light is red.
• At a railroad crossing with a stop sign. At railroad crossings without a stop sign, proceed with caution before crossing, making sure there is not a train approaching.
• When a flag person or traffic device directs you to stop.
• At a bridge that has been raised to open a path for boats to pass beneath it.
A portion of state statutes were used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow - Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501-2205. (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us ).
