Please help!! Stop Sign confusion!

[mattstansbury]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
My town Cop saw me drive by, and followed me(he has done this numerous times, explicitly following almost harassment type of following) and we came to a stop sign, I did not stop AT the stop sign, but in front of it. The stop sign is atleast 2 car lengths from the actual intersection and because of the terrain you cannot see if you stopped at the sign, so i proceded and stopped where I could safely see.. I proceded my turn and he followed me still..about 3 minutes later, he pulls me over for not stopping AT the stop sign but stopping in front of it. Is he right? Did I break the law? I was told my driver ed instructor I am able to procede closest as safely possible to the intersection..This happened in West Virginia.

 

[HighwayMan]

The stop sign is atleast 2 car lengths from the actual intersection...

You need to stop at the marked stop line. If there is none then you need to stop at the sign, not before it. After stopping completely, then you may proceed forward slowly until you can see enough to determine whether it is safe to proceed.

...because of the terrain you cannot see if you stopped at the sign...

Huh? You can't see if you stopped at the sign?

 

[sandyclaus]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
My town Cop saw me drive by, and followed me(he has done this numerous times, explicitly following almost harassment type of following) and we came to a stop sign, I did not stop AT the stop sign, but in front of it. The stop sign is atleast 2 car lengths from the actual intersection and because of the terrain you cannot see if you stopped at the sign, so i proceded and stopped where I could safely see.. I proceded my turn and he followed me still..about 3 minutes later, he pulls me over for not stopping AT the stop sign but stopping in front of it. Is he right? Did I break the law? I was told my driver ed instructor I am able to procede closest as safely possible to the intersection..This happened in West Virginia.

As I see it, you rolled through the stop sign and then decided to stop. You did break the law, so please pay the ticket and be done with it.

 

[mattstansbury]

Yes, but I may get 3 points, which i beleive is fairly obsurd as I did not completely blow the sign, but rather stop where the sign should have been in the first place. =/ Everybody stops where I stopped...I guess just had bad luck that day. Thank you for the quick responses

 

[Proseguru]

Yes, but I may get 3 points, which i beleive is fairly obsurd as I did not completely blow the sign, but rather stop where the sign should have been in the first place. =/ Everybody stops where I stopped...I guess just had bad luck that day. Thank you for the quick responses

If you can show to a judge that the sign was not properly posted then this would be a defense.

 

[HighwayMan]

i beleive (sic) is fairly obsurd (sic) as I did not completely blow the sign...

Not stopping where required is disobeying the stop sign.

Everybody stops where I stopped...

Don't worry about what any other driver does, worry about what you do. Just because "everybody" does it does not make it legal or correct.

 

[Zigner]

One must stop at the sign before proceeding forward...it's really quite basic.