The reported increased efforts lately to communicate the importance of stopping at red lights should also make the point that STOP signs mean the same thing, and they aren’t there for decoration.
Also, here in Abu Dhabi, many STOP signs have been placed too far from the road and are outside the peripheral vision of drivers. They seem to be placed almost at random.
And while we’re on the topic of signs – road signs are all too often placed directly in front of other road signs – it’s almost comic. Workers charged with installing signs need to be instructed about WHERE to place them in relation to other signs.
To be effective, the placement of signs needs far more thought than this topic is currently getting. Witness the signs for highway turnoffs that are often to be found immediately AFTER the turnoff.
And the size of the lettering on many road signs seems to assume that drivers are equipped with binoculars.
Stop signs do not mean the same thing as red lights.
Red lights mean that it is forbidden to pass the line while the light is on.
Stop signs mean that the driver must check for oncoming traffic before passing the white line, and that they are obliged to stop their vehicle at least momentarily at the line while doing so.