Got ticket for running stop sign when stop sign wasn't visible

[Leros]

This happened several years ago, just curious what you guys think.

tl;dr: I ran a stop sign that I couldn't see because a UPS truck was blocking it. Cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket.

I was driving through a neighborhood on one of the larger streets. Being a larger street, it didn't have stop signs going my direction (the cross-streets had stop signs). I had gotten about 15 streets into this neighborhood when I crossed a street that was apparently a 4-way stop. There was a UPS truck parked in front of the stop sign, so I had no idea it was there. A cop going the other direction pulled me over and gave me a ticket for running the stop sign. The cop didn't seem to think that not being able to view a stop sign was a valid point.

I'm the kind of guy that slows down to 20 mph or so at every intersection so that I can check for cross-traffic, so I wasn't in any risk hitting anybody either.

I ended up just paying the ticket. It was only $150, not worth the time fighting it.

MS Paint diagram:

 

[Red Squirrel]

I think there should be a law where you can't park within so many metres of a stop sign, say, 20 maybe. I've ran into this issue before where there's a truck parked so I don't even know if there's a stop sign. I'll just stop anyway to check and if there's none I'll keep going, but this can be hard to do if there's people behind you that wont bother stopping, especially in winter.

That's another thing, in winter when snow banks hide the stop signs or hide traffic so you can't see if a car is coming. The city is usually on the ball with that but sometimes they do drop it.

 

[Leros]

I think there should be a law where you can't park within so many metres of a stop sign, say, 20 maybe.

I think there is a law against that. A quick Google seems to indicate 30 feet in Texas, although I see street-side parking signs as close as 10 feet to a stop sign all over town.

 

[lxskllr]

I think there should be a law where you can't park within so many metres of a stop sign, say, 20 maybe.

I'm pretty sure there is a law. If not, I treat as though there were, and park a bit back from intersections. I wouldn't have paid the ticket. They don't deserve the money.

 

[JamesV]

I would have taken a picture of the UPS truck in front of the sign, and then gotten out of the ticket in court.

Of the ten tickets I've gotten, I've gotten half of them overturned.

The latest I was pissed about... driving around 3AM bringing friends home who were drunk, and 'oh, you gotta turn right here' one said, as I was in the center lane.

No traffic at all, so I backed up a bit, got in the turn lane, and proceeded on. About a mile later a cop pulls me over and tells me I turned right from the center lane, and gave me a ticket for no front license plate.

Told the judge I wasn't familiar with the area and what happened, and if I had really turned from the center lane, why did the police officer wait to pull me over until I had driven a mile further? Judge asked me if I got a front license put on, and I said 'yes'... he then threw out both charges.

 

[Leros]

I would have taken a picture of the UPS truck in front of the sign, and then gotten out of the ticket in court.

I never got the chance. The UPS truck was gone by the time the police officer got out of his car and walked over to mine. The police officer didn't even believe me when I said it was there. I figured the only way to prove my case was to get the dash cam footage from the police car which was way too much work to be worth the hassle.

 

[Schmide]

What about the white strip that indicates a stop?

 

[Leros]

What about the white strip that indicates a stop?

You rarely see those on neighborhood streets around here.

 

[SKORPI0]

Apparently that 4-way stop sign is a money maker for that city, cop was waiting for someone to fail. Yes the UPS truck shouldn't even be parking in that corner very near the intersection where the stop sign is.

http://www.ehow.com/list_7630707_parking-laws-distances-stop-signs.html

Distance

• Under no circumstance may the operator of the vehicle pick up or drop off, stand or park a vehicle within 30 feet of the stop sign.
• Whether the vehicle is occupied or unoccupied, parking closer than 30 feet of a stop sign is prohibited.

 

[zerocool84]

What about the white strip that indicates a stop?

Not every place that has a stop sign has white line for stop.

Also here in Cali, there is a law that you can't be parked within a certain distance of intersections.

 

[Jeff7]

What about the white strip that indicates a stop?

And they're not always quick about replacing them when they get worn away.

 

[Matthiasa]

The stop sign for coming towards you should have gave it away...

 

[stlc8tr]

The stop sign for coming towards you should have gave it away...

+1

You should have noticed the stop signs in the other directions.

 

[Phoenix86]

Requesting the dash cam fairly simple.

http://www.nfoic.org/sample-foia-request-letters#foireq

If it costs more than $40 they have to provide an itemized list of costs. Fight it.

 

[Phoenix86]

The stop sign for coming towards you should have gave it away...

That's irrelevant, sometimes there's 3 out of 4 way stops. It's obviously a good clue but it's not 100%.

That's why the law says people can't park near a stop sign and obscure the view.

 

[lxskllr]

That's irrelevant, sometimes there's 3 out of 4 way stops. It's obviously a good clue but it's not 100%.

That's why the law says people can't park near a stop sign and obscure the view.

He should have gotten on Google StreetView before he left, and examined his prospective route so he'd know what to expect before he got there.

 

[stlc8tr]

That's irrelevant, sometimes there's 3 out of 4 way stops. It's obviously a good clue but it's not 100%.

That's why the law says people can't park near a stop sign and obscure the view.

TX is weird then. There are no 3 way stops in CA. They're all 2 or 4 way stops.

 

[lxskllr]

TX is weird then. There are no 3 way stops in CA. They're all 2 or 4 way stops.

MD has 3way stops, and to further blow your mind, there's stops where some directions don't have to stop. There's an additional modifier that says you can go without stopping. That's why you don't follow signs that weren't put in place for you to see. They can offer clues, but they can also mislead you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Requesting the dash cam fairly simple.

http://www.nfoic.org/sample-foia-request-letters#foireq

If it costs more than $40 they have to provide an itemized list of costs. Fight it.

I doubt a cop would be willing to provide that in a situation that could help someone get out of a ticket. It probably got deleted shortly after the cop realized it was true about the truck.

 

[Phoenix86]

TX is weird then. There are no 3 way stops in CA. They're all 2 or 4 way stops.

The point is you obey the signs for your side of the street, not the ones faced away from you. Can you imagine a cop giving you a speeding ticket for a reduced speed sign facing the other way?

 

[Phoenix86]

I doubt a cop would be willing to provide that in a situation that could help someone get out of a ticket. It probably got deleted shortly after the cop realized it was true about the truck.

That's why you file the FOIA quickly. I'm sure the cop doesn't have a the ability to delete it, turn off recording probably, but not delete.

 

[Murloc]

I would have made sure that the policeman fined the UPS truck first for doing something highly illegal and dangerous.

You probably should have stopped because if the UPS truck hid the sign (and there were tall bushes before it), you probably weren't able to see traffic coming from the right in time to brake.
Also usually there is a stop line on the floor too.
If there was no floor sign and no stop sign and no intersection sign ahead of the intersection clarifying which one is the main road, the correct assumption would be that you have to yield to traffic on the right, and with no visibility that means stopping.

 

[twinrider1]

As you approach an intersection like that, get in the habit of looking at the corner of the oncoming traffic lane. If they have a stop sign, you have a stop sign.

Edit: Missed #12. As for #17 & #18, I'm trying to picture it. A Googling I go...

 

[KeithP]

You probably should have stopped because if the UPS truck hid the sign (and there were tall bushes before it), you probably weren't able to see traffic coming from the right in time to brake.

That is what I was thinking as well. I am guessing the intersection didn't need a stop sign in that situation for you to be required to stop because of the other vehicle obstructing your view.

-KeithP

 

[stlc8tr]

The point is you obey the signs for your side of the street, not the ones faced away from you. Can you imagine a cop giving you a speeding ticket for a reduced speed sign facing the other way?

The ticket might be invalid but driving is also about common sense as well. At least in CA, if you see the other stop signs, you can assume that you have one and that it just might be obstructed from view.