To protect the public safety, transportation authorities require that people who drive know the meaning of road signs. Road signs contain symbols, words or numbers that indicate the speed limit or alert motorists that a detour, construction zone or possible obstacles lie ahead.
The Federal Highway Administration publishes the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which defines and regulates the size, color, shape, wording and placement of road signs in the United States. The uniformity increases safety for motorist and pedestrians.
To help motorists avert danger, transportation authorities should avoid overuse of road signs. According to a report in the London Telegraph, the excessive use of road signs may lull motorists into a false sense of security and actually make the roads less safe.
Some towns in Germany have abolished the use of road signs, reasoning that motorists and pedestrians will pay more attention to what others are doing, thereby lowing the overall number of accidents. In a town in the Netherlands, accidents declined dramatically after removal of the road signs.
