A 3-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A legal stop is a complete stop in the right place. Stopping too far forward puts your car in the path of cross traffic or pedestrians; rolling through is illegal and one of the fastest ways to fail your road test.
Know the rule
Tennessee law: at a stop sign, stop before the nearest side of the crosswalk or at a marked stop line. If there's neither, stop where you can see traffic on the cross road, nearest that road, before entering the intersection.
Come to a COMPLETE stop at stop signs and before turning right on red, and go only when traffic is clear — approaching drivers shouldn't have to slow or change lanes for you.
When stopping behind another vehicle, leave a gap: you should see its license plate and/or where its rear tire meets the pavement. When it moves on, pull up to the stop line and stop again.
Slowing but not fully stopping at a sign or signal. It's illegal, earns a ticket and fails the road test. You've stopped only when you feel the car lurch forward after all motion has ceased.
You reach a stop sign where bushes block your view. Stop at the line first, then creep forward slowly until you can see both ways. If a pedestrian steps into the crosswalk while you creep, stop and let them finish.
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 or crosswalk marked, where must you stop?
Exactly 50 feet before the intersection
About 10 feet before the stop sign
Where you can see cross traffic, before entering
Inside the intersection, where you can see best
Answer: Where you can see cross traffic, before entering
With no stop line or crosswalk, you must stop where you have a clear view of approaching traffic before entering the intersection.
