Once you’ve been behind the wheel for a while, it’s easy to slip into a state of complacency and assume you know all there is to know about the rules of the road. However, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and understand the true meanings of common road signs to ensure your safety and the safety of others.
In a recent study conducted by price comparison service Compare the Market, road users’ knowledge was put to the test to see how many everyday road signs they could correctly identify. The results were surprising, with less than half of the signs (47 percent) matched with their correct meanings.
Meaning: Emergency diversion route for motorway and other main road traffic
The study found more than four out of five (83 percent) of people couldn’t correctly identify this sign. Most assumed they either hadn’t been given the right answer (49 percent) or it was a ring road sign (15 percent).
Meaning: Risk of grounding
Less than one-third (28 percent) of drivers were able to guess this sign correctly, and the majority (55 percent) believed it shows an uneven road.
Meaning: No waiting
One-third (33 percent) of drivers successfully matched this sign with the correct meaning. However, an additional third believe it means ‘no stopping’.
Meaning: Ring road
Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of motorists couldn’t identify this sign correctly. Some believed it meant a risk of grounding (11 percent) while others thought it signified an emergency diversion route for the motorway (six percent).
Answer: Tourist attraction
Only 41 percent of people correctly said this sign indicated tourist attractions, while more than half (51 percent) of those in the survey believed it was a railway station sign.
Julie Daniels from Compare the Market said: “Having driving theory knowledge is just as important as having practical experience, as it allows drivers to demonstrate safe and legal driving behaviours, while protecting themselves and other road users from potential accidents.
“It’s not uncommon for motorists to forget common driving rules or signs over time, or to be unaware of new rules that may have come into force since passing their theory test, so it’s important for all drivers to refresh and update their essential driving knowledge to keep themselves and other road users safe.”
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A content editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
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