Stop Sign
regulatory sign · octagon · red
Come to a complete stop at the stop line, crosswalk, or intersection edge. Proceed only when the way is clear and it is your turn.
- Visual breakdown
- Eight-sided red sign with white border and the word STOP in white capital letters. The octagon is the only eight-sided sign on the road.
- Shape recognition
- Octagon — 8 sides. No other sign uses this shape, so you can identify it from behind or when covered in snow.
- Color recognition
- Red means prohibition or stop. Red + octagon is the strongest command on the road.
- Memory trick
- Octagon has 8 sides — 'st-OP' has two letters in 'OP', and 8 looks like two stacked Os. Eight sides = full stop, every time.
- Real-world example
- At a neighborhood four-way stop, you must stop completely behind the line — rolling through at 2 mph is still a violation and a common test trap.
- Common mistakes
- Treating a stop as a yield (rolling stop), stopping past the stop line, and assuming the first to arrive can go without checking cross traffic.
- Quick recall method
- 8 sides = brake to zero.
Practice this sign
1 practice question cover this sign.
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