Don’t Stop! The Stop Signs You Can Legally Roll Through in Twin Falls

When you learn to drive as a teenager, you are taught to obey all street signs and street lights. It is always best when in doubt, to obey what any street sign says. Unfortunately, many drivers do not follow the rules of the road or signs, and make up their own rules the longer they have driven. Few people seem to know what yield means these days, and even fewer know what yellow on a stoplight truly indicates. While some signs can be confusing, others are self-explanatory, such as a stop sign, merge, or slow down. While these signs should usually be obeyed, sometimes it is legal to ignore them, and in Twin Falls there are a few you may not know you don't have to obey.

Do You Have to Stop at Parking Lot Stop Signs?

It is always a good idea to obey street signs, but when one is in a parking lot, do you have to obey them? For certain signs you do, such as handicapped parking, but when it comes to stop signs in a parking lot, you legally do not have to stop at them. It is recommended that you stop, and if somebody is crossing, you will need to, but if you are rolling through the parking lot and nobody is crossing, you legally can roll through and keep on going. These signs were not placed by road authorities, and are not enforced by law. Instead of stopping at multiple stop signs in the WinCo, Target, and PetSmart parking lot, you can keep on going, so long as nobody tries to run in front of you. 

Parking Lots in Twin Falls

While you can't get a ticket for running through these signs, you should still be cautious and make sure to slow down as you approach them. People crossing the driving lanes to get into stores will bank on you stopping at that stop sign, and by not doing so you could hurt somebody and find yourself getting in trouble for different reasons. Since not everybody is aware that these signs do not legally need to be obeyed, you may get some dirty looks or gestures if you roll through them. The signs at the end of the parking lot, going out onto the street, are to be obeyed though, and if an officer sees you rolling through those, you could get a ticket. In the parking lot, is not enforced, leaving the parking lot is. 

Get our free mobile app

The next time you are in a shopping center parking lot and the foot traffic is light, let the wheels run on through and save yourself some precious seconds. If pedestrians are afoot and potentially crossing in front of you, then take the sign recommendation and stop to keep them and you safe. This post is not to encourage you to disobey the signs, but more to tell you what signs you must obey and which ones you can ignore in the right situations. Be safe and be smart about using this knowledge moving forward.