About Stop Signs Will more stop signs help reduce speeding on our streets?
Under the right conditions, STOP signs can be very effective in improving traffic safety. The right conditions for installing STOP signs are determined through existing National Standards. Some factors considered in such standards are: 1. Traffic speed 2. Number of vehicles 3. Sight distance 4. Frequency of traffic gaps that allow safe vehicle entry and pedestrian crossing. Most drivers are prudent and reasonable. Unnecessary and unreasonable STOP signs only generate their contempt for traffic signs and will make them likely to violate those devices. Such violations may often have tragic results. In other words, STOP signs may sometimes cause more problems than they solve. STOP signs should normally stop traffic on the street with lower traffic volume. When both streets have similarly high volumes of traffic, four-way STOP signs should be installed. A traffic volume of 500 cars per hour during a substantial portion of the day is a determining factor for installing four-way STOP signs.
