As is the case with any minor traffic violation, you must compare the costs of simply paying the fine and enduring the repercussions of increased insurance premiums as a result of a negative mark on your driving record with your ability to contest a stop sign ticket. While there are defenses to ignoring or not completely stopping at a stop sign, there are also are defenses that are not likely to be successful. For instance, a judge might give you a break if a stop sign was newly installed at an intersection that you routinely drove through, and you just didn't notice the new stop sign. This argument will not work, however, if the stop sign has been there for awhile, and you should have noticed it by then if you were familiar with the area, or if you were unfamiliar with the intersection and wouldn't have noticed a new stop sign anyway.