Stopping

Oceanside Community Safety is a group of volunteers that want to make a difference. Their Traffic Watch program is an expansion of Speedwatch that now includes Cell Watch and Intersection Watch. Intersection Watch volunteers observe drivers at an intersection to check compliance with traffic laws and remind drivers of their obligations. The data collected is shared with the RCMP, ICBC and the public.

"I almost lost my life at West Fourth and Blenheim in Vancouver this morning" reported a DriveSmartBC Twitter follower. "I was turning left. The traffic lights were red for the traffic on Fourth. I stopped for the stop sign on Blenheim, then moved into the intersection to make my turn. The vehicle approaching me from the opposite direction was speeding and didn't even slow down for the stop sign. She went straight through!"

Douglas Heuring was riding his bicycle eastbound on 13 street approaching Grand Boulevard East in North Vancouver, B.C. He stopped for the stop sign about 10 feet back from the marked stop line at the intersection.

Paul Hergott is a personal injury lawyer who practices in Kelowna and writes on a variety of topics about driving in BC and the consequences for the participants when things go wrong. In this article he writes about how sidewalks should be treated as stop signs.

Who’s responsibility is to place a stop sign at a rail crossing? Does one stop at the stop sign or before? Who’s responsibility is it that the track is visible from a distance of 5 or more metres? How is visibility of the track determined?

Perhaps you saw news coverage of the out of control commercial truck collision on the Coquihalla Highway last Friday. Witness accounts from the scene speculated that the combination appeared to have lost it’s brakes and may not have stopped at the mandatory brake inspection pullout nearby. No doubt this will be either confirmed or disproved when the investigation of the incident is complete.

One evening while patrolling in an unmarked police car I approached a cross street that was controlled by stop signs. I could see a car approaching from my right going fast enough that I was concerned that the driver did not intend to stop.

I drove to a 4 way stop intersection that had only single lanes in all four directions BUT also had a yield sign on my right hand. I stopped and then proceeded to turn right. My passenger said I had no need to come to a full stop and could proceed to turn right so long as I yielded to oncoming traffic or traffic from the left.

I recently received a ticket that I plan to dispute. The alleged offense was disobeying a stop sign. I would like to know if/how road conditions can factor into a dispute. The stop sign was at the end of a downhill exit ramp that led to a straight-ahead-or-left-turn-only intersection (left turn through underpass), and onto a different highway.

(1)  what happens if you are the 2nd car in line stopped at a red light for instance, and a 3rd car rear ends you pushing you into the car in front?  Can you be charged for rear-ending the 1st car in line even though you weren't moving?