Are Stop Signs In Parking Lots Legitimate In Oregon?

Posted on October 31, 2022 in Auto Accidents,Car Accident

Stop signs are universal. When you see a stop sign, you know exactly what you are supposed to do when driving a vehicle. However, are stop signs inside of parking lots legitimate in the state of Oregon?

Here, we want to understand the legality of stop signs in general as well as the stop signs located inside parking lots. It is important to understand this information because proper stop sign etiquette can help avoid serious collisions, even in a parking lot.

Always be Aware of Stop Signs

The reality is that stop signs are everywhere. In most cases, these stop signs are legitimate and put in place by state or other municipal officials. To be on the safe side, we always advise individuals to continually be aware of their surroundings and obey traffic signs that they come across. Yes, we know that there are times when individuals put up stop signs in weird places, often to slow traffic down in front of their residences. Even though some of these stop signs, on rare occasions, may not be legitimate, please take note of them and watch out for any children that may be playing in the area.

What Parking Lot Stop Signs Actually Mean

When we examine Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS 801.305), we can see that laws regarding traffic signs only apply to public roads and highways, but it is crucial to understand what the word “highway” actually means when it comes to the law. Typically, this will mean any type of public road or thoroughfare, including bridges, viaducts, or other structures that are open for general public traffic use. The term highway also refers to open areas that the public uses, even if they are owned by private agencies, such as homeowner’s associations or business owners. 

This seems to indicate that stop signs inside of parking lots are going to be legitimate under Oregon law. We really need to look at this from a logical standpoint. Parking lots are very busy areas where the public does have a right to congregate. There must to be some sort of laws that everybody understands that carry over into the parking lot, or chaos would occur. All drivers in the state of Oregon understand stop signs, so it is safe to assume that stop signs and parking lots are going to be legitimate.

Parking lot accidents are very common. Again, parking lots are very busy areas where many individuals are trying to accomplish different goals. There are vehicles trying to park, vehicles trying to leave, vehicles in reverse, pedestrians walking all over the place, bicyclists, etc. When an accident occurs in a parking lot, it is important to assess for injuries and reach out to law enforcement officials for help. In many cases, the police will not respond to a private parking lot to complete an accident report, but it is important for those involved to exchange insurance information so they can make their claims.

Any person who sustains an injury caused by the negligent actions of another driver in a parking lot should reach out to a skilled Portland car accident attorney as soon as possible so they can go through the process of recovering compensation for their losses.