A 3-minute lesson from the Illinois course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Regulatory signs tell you what you must do, and you must obey them. The most important control who goes first and which way you may enter a road: STOP, YIELD, DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY.
Know the rule
At a STOP sign, make a full stop at the stop line. With no stop line, stop before the crosswalk. With no crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection. Then yield to pedestrians and approaching traffic.
Treat a temporary STOP sign put up by highway authorities like a permanent one. At a handheld STOP sign, stop until the school guard or flagger signals that it's safe to go.
An ALL-WAY stop means traffic from every direction must stop. The first driver to stop is the first to go; others wait their turn. Plaques may read 3-WAY, 5-WAY or ALL-WAY.
A YIELD sign means give the right of way to all vehicles and pedestrians. Slow down, and stop if necessary, at a marked crosswalk or before the intersection.
YIELD signs may appear on expressway ramps where there's no extra lane to speed up and merge. There is no regulatory sign for merging lanes, only advisory and warning signs.
WRONG WAY means you are traveling in the wrong direction. It is posted on expressway ramps a short distance past the DO NOT ENTER sign, and where you might turn the wrong way into a one-way street, alley or driveway.
You're at a STOP sign with no stop line and no crosswalk painted. Stop before entering the intersection, where you can see, then yield to pedestrians and approaching traffic.
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.
What must a driver do when facing a STOP sign with no stop line or crosswalk?
Stop just past the corner for a view
Stop only if cross traffic is visible
Slow down but proceed if clear
Stop before entering the intersection
Answer: Stop before entering the intersection
Without a stop line or crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection itself.
