It is the simplest of all traffic control devices and traffic laws – the stop sign. Stop. It’s one of the first words we learn in childhood: “stop teasing your sister”; “stop jumping on the bed”; “stop your complaining”. It shouldn’t be difficult to understand but most drivers don’t seem to grasp the notion that stop means stop. Not slow down, or roll through, but STOP. Under Section 186 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act “186 … if there is a stop sign at an intersection, a driver of a vehicle must stop

(a) at the marked stop line, if any, (b) before entering the marked crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or (c) when there is neither a marked crosswalk nor a stop line, before entering the intersection, at the point nearest the intersecting highway from which the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting highway.

By law, the wheels of the vehicle must cease motion entirely.  Every day we see drivers in our community perform the “rolling stop” which just doesn’t count when it comes to road safety and traffic enforcement. Failing to stop completely is a 3 point demerit and $167 fine. Some of the excuses we’ve heard: “well it was almost a stop”, “I thought it was more of a yield at this intersection” and the best one, “but this is Oak Bay!” We haven’t figured out the relevance of this last one, but we replied with, “yes, you are correct, this is Oak Bay and the traffic laws are the same as they are in Vancouver, Prince George and Vanderhoof”.

It would appear that many people seem to feel that stop signs are merely a suggestion, and not a law. Our community expects to be safe in all respects, and traffic safety is essential for all of us, and coming to a complete stop at a stop sign is a traffic law that will be strictly enforced to ensure that accidents, injuries and fatalities can be avoided.