Stop Sign Car Accidents: Who's at Fault?

Stop Sign Interesection Accidents

The risk of a car accident is high at intersections, especially those with stop signs.

Running a stop sign is a violation of traffic laws and is considered an act of negligence.

However, determining who to blame in a stop sign car accident case isn't always so straighforward.

Generally, when you've been hit by another driver and injured, proving the other party's fault is crucial to determining if you are entitled to damages.

Stop sign accidents can involve multiple vehicles getting hit, right-of-way questions, and other contributing factors depending on the circumstances.

 

Determining who is legally responsible can be tricky in some cases.

If you've been hurt after an accident, let our auto accident injury attorneys review the unique details of your case to learn your legal options.

If the other driver commits a traffic violation, they will generally be liable, but you must prove it.

Seek help from a stop sign car accident lawyer who can help you obtain the best possible outcome and recover a fair settlement for your damages and injuries.

Causes of Stop Sign Accidents

There are several common causes of stop sign intersection accidents with implications for fault and liability. If you were involved in a crash at an intersection, sit down with our top-rated auto accident lawyers to review your case details.

A considerable number of the personal injury claims we review on a weekly basis are accident events involving dangerous intersections and stop signs. The collisions can result in very serious injuries to drivers and passengers and, in some cases, prove fatal. Drivers should consider intersections hazardous, be vigilant when approaching stop signs and never assume other motorists will follow the traffic laws.

Failure to Stop

Motorists are required to make a full stop at a stop sign. Drivers should come to a full stop prior to the marked stop line or before the pedestrian crosswalk. A rolling stop, sometimes called the California stop, is running the stop sign in most cases, and the driver will be cited as in violation of the traffic laws.

Failure to Yield

A failure to yield to the right of way of other vehicles or pedestrians is considered running the stop sign as well and can have implications for personal injury claims following a collision. When vehicles reach a four-way stop simultaneously, the vehicle furthest to the right has the right of way. Additionally, straight-ahead traffic has the right of way over turning vehicles which must cross the oncoming traffic lane. Impatience kills. Don't feel pressured to move forward until you feel it can be safely done at the intersection. Aggressive, reckless driving results in accidents and injuries.

Speeding

Speeding is a contributing factor in many collisions at intersections. Stopped vehicles are regularly hit from behind by drivers driving too fast to stop safely or who weren't paying attention. Additionally, speeding drivers are more likely to run a stop sign. The driver may have missed the sign or was driving too fast to stop in time. Vehicles that plow through the middle of an intersection at high speeds are at high risk of a serious collision with crossing traffic. Additionally, drivers following a vehicle too closely can rear-end that vehicle in the event of a sudden stop.

Drugs and Alcohol

Driving while impaired is a regular contributing factor to auto accidents. Drunk driving causes reckless decision-making, impaired judgment, and impairs reaction times. Impaired drivers are more likely to plow through a stop sign, misjudge distances and turn into oncoming traffic, attempt an intersection crossing without right of way, rear-end stopped cars, and cause a crash.

Recklessness or Carelessness

Countless circumstances can lead to accidents at intersections. Drivers should always approach a stop carefully and enter an intersection only when their view is unobstructed, and safety is prioritized. Never assume at an intersection that the other drivers will follow the traffic laws, stopping and proceeding as they should. Aggressive driving can include following vehicles too closely, failing to obey stop signs, making improper turns, speeding, and unsafe lane changes. Willfully running stop signs can lead to catastrophic accidents and result in serious injury and death.

Stop Signage Visibility or Inclement Weather

Visibility of stop signs can be impaired by overgrowth, poor placement, missing signage, or inclement weather. This can lead to municipality or city liability in some less common car accident injury cases. Additionally, bad weather can make spotting signage difficult, in heavy fog or a strong storm, for example. While missing stop signs and these other considerations are not as common, these factors can be potential causal factors for a crash and have liability and fault implications in a personal injury lawsuit.

 

 

What are the Stop Sign Rules?

When vehicles follow the stop sign rules, the risk of injury and accidents is reduced. According to the NHTSA, the stop sign rules state the first to reach the intersection and stop is the first to go. In instances where all vehicles arrive at the four-way stop simultaneously, the driver farthest to the right is the first to proceed, followed by the next. Turning vehicles are to yield to cars crossing the straight through the intersection when reaching the stop at the same time. Additionally, drivers should yield to pedestrians (including bicyclists), and choose to yield to other drivers in any circumstances where safety is unclear.

Car accident claims in a no-fault states are handled differently with the PIP insurance coverage covering any claims which don't meet the serious injury threshold.

In the event of a collision, the police officer at the scene will generally investigate the circumstances and attempt to determine if any party violated the traffic laws. Typically, they will cite the driver they determine to be at fault and include a summary of their investigation in the police accident report.

Dangerous Four-Way Stops

Are four-way stop intersections more dangerous than intersections with traffic lights? Some claim traffic signals are more likely to result in car accidents than four-way stops. The argument is that intersections with traffic signals allow for higher speeds as drivers approach the crossing. Generally, stop signage reduces the speed of the vehicles approaching the intersection and reduces the risk of serious injury, if not collision frequency. Running a yellow light at high speed to make it before it changes or running a blatantly running a red light can have deadly consequences. Drivers should approach all intersections, whether signage or signal, with care to reduce the crash risk.

Who's at Fault & How to Prove It

Who is deemed to have caused a stop sign accident will determine if and how an injured party may seek damages after a collision. Your legal options and the insurance claim process will be directly impacted by who is determined at fault. Ultimately, the facts and evidence of the circumstances surrounding the accident will determine fault and liability. Your car accident lawyer will review the details of your case and review your legal options.

When a driver has violated the local traffic laws and their actions caused your injuries, that driver will usually be deemed at fault. Your lawyer will have to gather the facts and evidence in order to substantiate your claims and build a strong case.

The insurance company may dispute your claims of what happened, and their lawyers will use any opportunity to minimize what they may have to pay in compensation. What starts out as a seemingly straightforward case can get complex quickly when so much is at stake. If you suffered serious injury as a result of the action of another, you need a legal team that understands winning compensation matters.

Don't admit fault at the scene or to an insurance adjuster; let the lawyers hash that out during the investigation and throughout the legal process. Additionally, always seek medical treatment after a motor vehicle accident because you may need to prove your physical injury claims as well.

Types of Stop Sign Accidents

Accidents at intersections can lead to a wide variety of car accidents. While every accident case is unique, our lawyers regularly review car accident claims involving the following types of stop sign accidents. These are among the more frequent types of car accidents our lawyers handle, but not limited to:

Multi-Vehicle Collisions

Multi-vehicle car accident cases complicate fault and liability matters. These multi-car collisions regularly occur at intersections when one vehicle is hit, usually rear-ended, the force of which pushes the front vehicle into the middle of the intersection, where it strikes another car. In such cases, it wasn't the rear-ended driver's fault for entering oncoming traffic, as it was the initial strike that caused it. In some cases, a high-speed collision can set a daisy chain of accidents involving several vehicles into motion. Additionally, these crashes can include multiple vehicles, and any vehicles that strike the pushed car may not be responsible for the collision, depending on the circumstances.

Rear-End Accidents

In a rear-end accident, nine times out of ten, it will be the motorist who hit the vehicle from behind that will be found at fault. It can be as simple as the rear vehicle wasn't paying attention when the car in front stopped at the stop sign. Big trucks following too close may not have left enough distance to stop safely before hitting the car in front. Victims of rear-end accidents have a high-risk potential to suffer whiplash injuries and/or serious back injuries. Drivers hit from behind are often surprised by the impact and are at risk for painful soft tissue muscle damage and strains in the back and neck from the violent whipping motion.

T-Bone Accidents

Drivers turning across traffic at an intersection after stopping can be struck by oncoming traffic for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the driver misjudged the distance and speed of the oncoming vehicle. These side-impact accidents are especially devastating when a driver fails to stop at the stop sign and plows into an unsuspecting driver. T-bone collisions commonly result in very serious injuries due to the lack of protection for passengers and drivers at the impact site on the side of the vehicle. This type of accident is a common cause of concussion and brain injury resulting from head impacts in a wreck.

Head-On Collisions

Any intersection involving cross traffic poses the potential for a head-on collision. Drivers who veer unexpectedly into oncoming traffic or don't yield to the right of way can collide with oncoming traffic. Head-on collisions can be especially devastating for victims because of the opposing forces involved when two vehicles collide, heading in opposite directions. We regularly encounter serious personal injury claims involving dashboard knee injuries, bone fractures, traumatic brain injury and, in some cases, fatalities caused by the head-on collisions at stop signs.