Dangers of Running a Stop Sign

All of us have been tempted to roll through a stop sign without stopping completely at some point. Maybe you were in a hurry and figured it couldn’t hurt. Maybe it was late at night or a rarely trafficked intersection. Maybe you simply didn’t think about the stop sign at all. Unfortunately, there is no situation in which it is safe to run a stop sign. If you gave into temptation and rolled through the intersection without properly stopping, you risked your life and the lives of those around you.

If you run a stop sign, you are risking one of the most dangerous types of motor vehicle accidents: a T-bone crash. A T-bone crash happens when a vehicle strikes another on the side, going head-on towards a crossing vehicle. Naturally, failure to follow a stop sign creates the perfect conditions for this kind of accident. The non-stopping vehicle pulls out as the car with right-of-way pulls forward through the intersection. This is compounded by the fact that most stop signs are placed due to some lack of visibility, which means you may not see oncoming traffic until it is too late.

T-bone accidents easily rank among the most deadly types of accidents that you can be involved in, especially at higher speeds. That’s because one car is hit directly on the side, a place where there is little protection for the riders. With no airbags or strong defensive structures, the car can easily crumple or flip, seriously injuring the passengers inside.

Other Risks of Running a Stop Sign

Even if you don’t cause a T-bone crash after running a stop sign, you face other risks. You could hit a pedestrian or a biker in the intersection. You could be ticketed for failure to stop or even arrested for reckless driving. Worst of all, you could lose someone you love due to your own recklessness.

It’s easy to assume that none of these things will happen to you, but the reality is that the dangers of running a stop sign far outweigh the few extra seconds you save by rolling on through. Next time you see a stop sign, count a few seconds of pausing and really observe your surroundings before pulling past the sign. The life you save could be yours.

Of course, even the best stop can’t fully protect you from a car accident, especially one caused by another person’s recklessness. In these cases, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed by a deluge of insurance forms, fighting to get the compensation you need to heal and move on. Luckily, an experienced Ohio accident attorney can help. If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Ohio, call the dedicated personal injury lawyers at Kisling, Nestico & Redick at 1-800-HURT-NOW to find out how we may be able to serve you.