Hinsdale Police Department Re-Institutes "Stop Means Stop" Campaign

Submitted by the Village of Hinsdale Police Department.

--

The Village of Hinsdale Police Department will be re-instituting its “Stop Means Stop” enforcement campaign. This campaign was first developed in 2009 but was re-initiated in 2015. Although enforcement efforts have been ongoing, the continued concerns are the result of wide spread violations with little change in driving behavior. “We continue to see a high number of violations within the community”, Hinsdale Police Chief Kevin Simpson commented. “Despite our efforts to educate the public on this matter and gain voluntary compliance, this disregard for a traffic control device is dangerous and can compromise safety for motorists and pedestrians.” Chief Simpson added.

Although the rules of the road clearly identify a driver’s responsibility at a stop intersection, traffic habits show that drivers commonly resort to what is referred to as a “rolling stop.” Rolling through stop signs is unsafe and often times results in a crash. The program is most effective in modifying behavior through both education and enforcement.

In determining where to assign officers, the Hinsdale Police Department will prioritize locations with high crash volumes, intersections near schools or school travel routes, and other intersections where unique circumstances increase violation rates. Intersections with low traffic volumes will also be staffed for enforcement in residential areas.

The Illinois Vehicle Code requires a driver to comply with the following requirements at a stop intersection and defines a complete stop as “a complete cessation of movement” and requires a:

• Complete stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or,
• In the event there is no crosswalk, shall completely stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none,
• Completely stop at the point nearest the intersection roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection
• Assure it is safe, clear, and free of pedestrian traffic before proceeding into the intersection

The ultimate goal of this program is to change motorist behavior when stopping or yielding at an intersection, and undoubtedly an increase in compliance will yield improve the safety for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists by reducing crashes.

--

Photo by Anicka Slachta for Patch.