The Iowa State Police Department conducted 207 traffic stops for failure to obey stop signs in 2024, according to ISUPD Chief Michael Newton.
Due to an increase of 146 violations from 2023, the ISUPD has implemented new signage on stop signs on campus to warn drivers of the monetary consequences that could result from a “rolling stop” violation.
The signs state:
“COMPLETE STOP FREE, ROLLING STOP $210.25 YOUR CHOICE.”
According to reports from the ISUPD, the top ten streets where stop sign traffic stops took place were the following:
- Union Drive 26
- Pammel Drive 12
- Bissel Road to Pammel Drive 11
- Pammel Drive to Bissel Road 10
- Bissel Road 9
- Pammel Drive 6
- Wallace Road 6
- Cessna St/South 4th St/Beach Avenue 4
- Knapp St/Hayward Avenue 4
- Welch Road 4
“We continue to receive complaints from the campus community on the concerns with driving behaviors on campus,” Newton stated in an email to the Daily. “Rolling stops have always been illegal as you are required to make a full stop per Iowa Law (321.322). We are trying to find ways to remind those driving on campus, given the number of violations we are seeing.”
Iowa law states, “The driver of a vehicle approaching a stop intersection indicated by a stop sign shall stop at the first opportunity at either the clearly marked stop line or before entering the crosswalk or before entering the intersection or at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection. Before proceeding, the driver shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle on the intersecting roadway which has entered the intersection or which is approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the driver is moving across or within the intersection.”
Reports from the ISUPD also indicate that in 2024, the department has seen a significant increase in stop-sign violations compared to the last five years.
The reports show the following number of stop-sign traffic stops from 2020 to 2024:
- 2020 – 44
- 2021 – 42
- 2022 – 49
- 2023 – 126
- 2024 – 209
Other traffic violations reported:
Excessive speed traffic stops were reported to have decreased from 2023 to 2024, with 1,268 stops in 2023 and 1,066 in 2024.
Failure to provide proof of identification citations and warnings have also decreased from 2023 to 2024, with 292 reported in 2023 and 160 in 2024.
For more information on arrest and citation reports from the ISUPD, visit their website.
Voice of Reason | Nov 20, 2024 at 11:21 am
I’m here for this! Just think… While the youth of America is getting educated in their major of choice at an accredited state University, they can also get educated in the fundamentals of driving. The very first $200+ fine they receive will go nicely on their Ubill.
Seriously, just fully stop already. There are pedestrians everywhere. Of which, you are most likely one when not behind the wheel of your vehicle.
Vinay Dayal | Nov 20, 2024 at 10:20 am
I guess laws are laws but the police department has not seen the traffic in big cities such as Boston and New York. If you stop at the traffic sign, you are honked. Rolling stops are a fact of life. Rolling stops break the so called law, but serve all the purpose the law is made for. The vehicle can be stopped in a fraction of second, if needed. Also, my High School Physics tells me that the coefficient of friction in a rolling motion is much less than a fully stopped wheel. So, my tires will have better life and I will be not be contributing to the millions of tons of tire waste. I will also be using less fuel as fuel spent is proportional to the difference is velocity.
Local GROM Guy | Nov 21, 2024 at 8:37 am
Well, we are not a big city unfortunately, where the vast amounts of drivers doing rolling stops outweigh police force. All the roads on campus are one lane. If you are thinking that rolling stops on campus is going to get to your location faster, you are speeding up the inevitable of getting stopped at the students using the cross walks, do you plan to do a rolling stop over there as well?
Rolling stops are unpredictable and cause more danger, especially to the motorcyclists as well.
I would like to see some testing and results for tire life and fuel spent.