The charge commonly referred to as a stop sign ticket—officially “disobey stop sign”—is a traffic offence under Highway Traffic Act of Ontario 136,1 which states:
Every driver or street car operator approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall,
- stop the vehicle at a marked stop line or,
- if none, then immediately before entering the nearest crosswalk or,
- if none, then immediately before entering the intersection; and
- yield the right of way to traffic in the intersection, and
- approaching the intersection on another highway so closely
- that to proceed would constitute an immediate hazard and,
- having so yielded the right of way, may proceed.
The police and courts define a proper stop at a stop sign as “bringing the vehicle to a full and complete stop”.