40 | SEPTEMBER 2019
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
SEVEN MOST
CONFUSING
ROAD SIGNS
British drivers will pass and use thousands
of road signs in their lifetime, but now seven
of the most confusing have been revealed.
Motoring experts from
LeaseVan.co.uk have com-
piled a list of some of the
most misleading and baffling
road signs to test drivers’
knowledge.
Whether you’ve been driv-
ing for three years or thirty
years, there are some road
signs that you very rarely
see, so on the odd occasion
you do come across them
you don’t have a clue what
they’re indicating towards.
You may have a rough
idea or be able to hazard a
guess at some of them, but
the most obscure ones might
leave you nonplussed.
Tim Alcock from LeaseVan.
co.uk commented: “For the
most part, the signs can be
roughly interpreted and if
you had to hazard a guess,
you probably wouldn’t be
far off.
“Nevertheless, we’ve
picked out some of the most
obscure and uncommon
road signs to help British
drivers get clued up before
heading out on any annual
road trips this summer.”
‘
Red circles
generally give
a mandatory
instruction
’
2. Minimum
speed limit
1. Surface dressing
No, this isn’t implying
that your tyres are at risk
of exploding. Sometimes
roads aren’t complete-
ly resurfaced with fresh
tarmac, and instead roads
are improved by “surface
dressing” which involves
treating roads with bitumen
and loose chippings. This
sign warns drivers and rid-
ers that they need to slow
down because loose chip-
pings can damage paint-
work and are hazardous
due to loss of traction.
This looks similar to a
30mph speed limit sign,
but those are on a white
background with a red
border. This one means that
there’s a minimum speed
permitted, in miles per hour,
unless it’s impractical or
unsafe to comply.
3. No vehicles
except bicycles
being pushed
Red circles generally
give a mandatory instruc-
tion, such as speed limits.
This one is usually accom-
panied by another sign
below it with a further
explanation, but basically
it means ‘No Vehicles’. It
may say just that below,
or perhaps have a time of
the day in which the rule
applies.
4. Vehicles may pass
either side to reach
same destination
Perhaps one of the most
puzzling road signs and one
that isn’t used too often.
You probably wouldn’t be
able to decipher its mean-
ing purely from the image,
either. Blue circles generally
give a mandatory instruc-
tion such as ‘turn left’, or in
this case, ‘vehicles may pass
either side to reach same
destination’.
5. No vehicles
carrying explosives 6. Overhead
electric cable
This will only apply to
a very, very small number
of drivers carrying danger-
ous loads, but if you’re not
aware of its meaning, it
could have horrible conse-
quences. You might see this sign
and automatically think
‘danger’, but would you
really know what to look
out for?
Whether
‘ you’ve
been
driving for
three years or
thirty years,
there are some
road signs
that you very
rarely see
’
7. T-junction with
priority over vehicles
from the right
Perhaps one of the most
uncommon road signs, and
not overly self-explanatory
either.