District of Columbia driving lesson · Parking & Stopping Rules
Full stops, rolling stops & blocking the box
A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A rolling stop isn't a stop. DC lists exactly where you must come to a full stop, and where to stop in relation to lines and crosswalks.
Know the rule
At a stop sign, make a full stop at the stop line. If there is no stop line, stop before the crosswalk. If there is no crosswalk, stop before the posted stop sign.
At a steady red signal, unless a sign prohibits turning, you may make a right turn after a full stop, yielding to pedestrians, bicyclists and other traffic lawfully using the intersection.
When coming out of an alley, driveway, private road or parking structure across a sidewalk, stop and yield to pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles before entering the sidewalk/crosswalk.
If the roadway beyond an intersection is blocked with traffic, stop before entering and go only when it's no longer blocked. Don't Block the Box! Don't Block the Crosswalk!
Your light turns green, but traffic on the far side of the intersection is backed up and there's no room for your car. Stay behind the stop line. Entering would leave you stuck in the box and blocking cross traffic and the crosswalk.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
At a stop sign with no stop line and no crosswalk, where must you stop?
Before the posted stop sign
At the middle of the intersection
Wherever traffic allows
Only if another vehicle is present
Answer: Before the posted stop sign
Without a stop line or crosswalk, you must stop before the posted stop sign itself.
