According to the Federal Highway Administration, it is imperative that damaged or missing STOP signs be replaced or repaired within hours of detection. Whether due to vandalism or weather damage, there are plenty of reasons it may be time to upgrade your old signs. If you haven’t checked on the state of your signs recently, it may be time to replace them.
If a new STOP sign needs to be installed, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has the following guidelines that should always be adhered to:
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- The STOP sign shall be an octagon with a white legend and border on a red background.
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- Secondary legends shall not be used on STOP sign faces.
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- At intersections where all approaches are controlled by STOP signs an ALL WAY supplemental plaque shall be mounted below each STOP sign. The ALL WAY plaque shall have a white legend and border on a red background.
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- The ALL WAY plaque shall only be used if all intersection approaches are controlled by STOP signs.
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- Supplemental plaques with legends such as 2-WAY, 3-WAY, 4-WAY, or other numbers of ways shall not be used with STOP signs.
Additional regulatory information regarding STOP signs, including where they should be placed, can be found here.
For more information about STOP signs, see our handy product guide here.
Contributed by Toral Khunti, Merchandising Associate at Seton