Stop Sign History

The first stop signs were white with black lettering and were smaller than the ones today.

History of the stop sign

Believe it or not, stop signs have not all ways been law in the United States. In the early 1900s, the first stop signs were white with black lettering and were smaller than the ones today. Between 1924-1954, stop signs were yellow and were mounted only two or three feet above the ground. Then in 1922, a committee standardized stop signs, making them octagonal shape, which is currently used in the US. The committee chose the unique eight-sided shape to allow drivers facing the back of the sign the ability to identify oncoming traffic had a stop sign and to avoid confusion with other traffic signs.

From 1935, when the MUTCD was first published the requirements for stop signs, the requirements did not change much, other than raising the height requirement.

In 1954, the MUTCD changed the stop sign drastically to its present red with white lettering. The color red is also used for stop on traffic signals. Worldwide, red is used the color for stop signals. In 1966, the United States passed into law the use of the MUTCD stop sign and in 1971, the, mounting height was raised to the current seven feet. The European Union later adopted stop signs as part of the effort to standardize road travel across member countries.