Making the City Safer

STOP Signs: They really do mean… STOP!

A reminder from the Brisbane Police Department:

We receive periodic complaints from residents regarding driver’s disregard for the stop signs in town.  The most prevalent type of violation is the “California Stop” where drivers slow down while rolling over the limit line, and then accelerate when they perceive that the coast is clear.  Not only is this a clear violation the stop sign law, it is a dangerous habit.  And I say habit, because most of the drivers that we stop no longer realize that they’re doing it.  Most of the drivers aren’t even in a hurry!

Unfortunately this habit can have disastrous consequences.  Nationwide, there are over 700,000 accidents related to stop sign violations reported each year.  Over one third of these accidents resulted in injuries.  According to a 2004 NHTSA study, there were 13,627 fatalities in 1999 – 2000 caused by people failing to stop at stop signs.

Because of this, we will be increasing our focus toward stop sign violators in the hope of changing driver’s behavior in this area.  Officers will be watching for stop sign violators and taking a zero tolerance approach.  A citation for running a stop sign will cost you well over $200.  Is it worth the risk?  I hope that you will agree with us that it’s not and concentrate on coming to a complete stop at every stop sign.  It may seem like an inconvenience at first, but you’re helping make this town a safer and more enjoyable place to live.