ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve on Thursday was asked, “Can I get a ticket for not obeying stop signs in a parking lot?”
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Trooper Steve said he’s surprised when he gets questions about drivers wanting to do the opposite of what traffic control devices intend.
“We are talking about stop signs or yield signs in your local department or grocery stores,” he said. “Before you think you know the answer, let me explain in full. I do not want anyone getting in trouble and then referring back to this article.”
Stop signs, traffic control devices in law enforcement vernacular, in private parking lots are technically non-enforceable, meaning that a police officer is typically not going to sit in a parking lot and monitor traffic.
“But there are some things you should know about how this works,” Trooper Steve said. “If that private property has reached an agreement with local law enforcement because they are requesting enforcement on their lot, then that’s a different story. That would give the local jurisdiction the authority to enforce said traffic control devices.”
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Drivers would not notice, however, because that fact would not be required to be posted.
“Most adults tend to stop at stop signs and not wonder if they are required to,” he added. “We must remember why these signs are there: to prevent crashes.”
If a driver was involved in a crash and it was determined that he or she was supposed to stop at a traffic control device, a traffic citation for careless driving could be issued.
Be safe out there!
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