ORLANDO, Fla. – One of the most common traffic questions I hear is simple but important: Where am I actually supposed to stop, at the stop sign or the white line on the road?
The answer isn’t one or the other. In Florida, the stop sign and stop bar work together, and understanding that relationship can help prevent crashes and citations.
That thick white line painted across the roadway is called a stop bar, and when it’s present, that is where you must stop first.
Stop bars are placed intentionally by traffic engineers to position vehicles safely before moving forward. You’ll commonly see them:
- Before crosswalks
- Ahead of railroad tracks
- At busy or limited-visibility intersections
They are designed to keep vehicles out of areas where pedestrians, trains, or cross traffic may be present.
Florida law is pretty clear under Florida Statute 316.123, which governs stop signs and right-of-way.
Drivers approaching a stop sign must:
- Come to a complete stop at the stop bar or, if no stop bar exists, before the crosswalk or intersection.
- Yield the right of way to pedestrians or vehicles already in or approaching the intersection.
Stopping at a stop sign is a two-step process: stop first, then yield. Zero Movement Means Stop
A stop sign and a stop bar requires zero movement. The vehicle must be fully stopped. A rolling stop is still a violation, and it’s one that often leads to close calls or crashes.
This is not a yield sign. Slowing down isn’t enough.