What is the purpose of a stop sign?

The purpose of a stop sign is to ensure all vehicles come to a complete stop before proceeding. This is crucial for promoting safety at intersections, where the risk of collisions may be higher due to the crossing paths of vehicles. By requiring drivers to stop, it encourages them to look for oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and other potential hazards before making a decision to move forward.

While speed limit signs indicate how fast one may drive and are essential for maintaining safe driving speeds, they do not serve the same function as a stop sign. Similarly, maintaining traffic flow is important, but it can sometimes conflict with the necessity of stopping based on traffic conditions. Lastly, directing traffic around obstacles is a function of other traffic signs and signals, but a stop sign specifically is focused on requiring a complete stop for safety reasons.