Disobeying stop signs can prove deadly

The Ohio law requiring motorists to obey stop signs seems simple enough: When your vehicle arrives at a stop sign, stop completely, look in all directions (depending on if it’s a two-way stop or involves traffic from additional paths), and proceed through the intersection when it’s safe.

While the law is easy to understand, the tougher thing to figure out is why so many motorists go through stop signs illegally. It’s also troubling to learn that failure to yield at stop signs is having a deadly impact this year in Geauga County.

During the period of April 2 through Sept. 3, the Ohio Highway Patrol Chardon Post investigated a total of seven crashes in the county resulting in nine fatalities. More than half of them — 57 percent, or six of the nine deaths — were the result of a driver failing to yield at a stop sign.

“Although there have been fewer fatal crashes this year in Geauga County, there has been a 12 percent increase in the number of lives lost,” according to an OHP news release.

OHP statistics show that since 2015, there have been 469 property damage crashes in Geauga and 272 injury crashes, all with a contributing factor of failure to yield.

A failure-to-yield enforcement blitz conducted by the Ohio Highway Patrol on Sept. 12 in Geauga County illustrated the blatant disregard that some drivers have for stop signs. This operation involved an OHP airplane overhead to detect vehicles failing to obey stop signs, and two patrol cars from the OHP and one from the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office on the ground to pull over violators.

In the midst of the blitz, a News-Herald reporter who was a passenger in the OHP surveillance plane observed 12 stop-sign citations issued within an hour at the intersection of Bell Street and Auburn Road in Newbury Township.

Many more citations could have been issued, but the three patrol cars were not enough to keep up with the amount of traffic failing to yield. At least 10 citation opportunities were missed as all three units were busy with traffic stops. At one point, the reporter observed four vehicles all traveling in the same direction approach the stop sign on Auburn Road and one right after the other go through the intersection without stopping.

If we could have interviewed every driver who evaded citations during the blitz, we would have asked why they think it’s OK to ignore stop signs. Are they unaware that others who failed to yield stop signs this year in Geauga County ended up in crashes in which people have been killed? Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry — or dead?

Think about it: Everyone who goes through driver’s education and studies their state’s digest of motor vehicle laws learns about stop sign laws and the importance of obeying these regulations. So why is it that so many people, after getting their licenses and taking to the road, have a tendency to disobey stop signs?

Perhaps some people are in too big of a hurry. It seems that many people don’t want to wait very long for anything these days, including going through a stop sign.

Then there’s the issue of distracted driving. The dangers of texting while driving are obvious, but even things like talking on a cellphone, eating, putting on makeup, or chatting with other occupants of a vehicle, which divert a driver’s attention, can prove hazardous. And while automakers are adding more controls, buttons and other high-tech gadgets to the dashboards of cars aimed at enhancing the driving experience, these features also can take a driver’s eyes off the road while a vehicle is moving.

Maybe it’s time to re-emphasize that driving is a serious activity that requires a driver’s complete attention.

The OHP is asking the public to be aware of all traffic control devices at all intersections.

OHP Chardon Post Sgt. Jeremy Kindler offered some basic tips to remember when arriving at a stop sign.

“Look left, look right, look left again,” Kindler said. “Spell out S.T.O.P. in your head before your proceed into any intersection. Lastly and most important, put the cellphones down. Leave that song on the radio and that Snapchat message or selfie can wait. Stay alive, don’t text and drive.”

We hope that the OHP Chardon Post and other area law enforcement agencies continue to take a hard line against stop sign violations.

As for motorists, we would ask everyone to come to a complete stop at stop signs and don’t proceed into the intersection until you’re certain it’s safe. You might get to your destination a few seconds later, but that won’t kill you. Disobeying a stop sign, on the other hand, is much more likely to bring about your sudden demise.