>> NCD News: Facebook: murder, affairs, suicide, bullying ... a real society!
>> NCD News: How many No Claims Bonus years do you have? Are you sure?
>> NCD News: Women lying about rape to claim compensation
>> NCD News: "Up to 75% No Claims Discount!" they shout ... "up to"???

AA signs up to help fix what they started: We've probably all ended up in a field at some point thanks to the ever-criticised satnav system. But long before satnav's gave us an excuse for being lost or late, we used to blame road signs ... and with good reason too!

If you live in one of those areas where "Town Centre" seems to be in four different directions at once - you'll be happy to know that the Department of Transport has recently announced the biggest review of road traffic signs in the UK since 1968.

Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said the move was designed to modernise the UK's road sign system and acknowledged that road conditions had radically altered during the past 40 years. She said a review was necessary to keep up with the changes and offer drivers better information at the roadside.

The government wants to ensure that British road signs and traffic signals use state-of-art technology to maximum effect. The hope is that technical advances can help signs reduce congestion and emission charges, and improve road safety – without adding to street "clutter".

The aims of the review are:

◊ To make sure old signs are removed
◊ To discuss new measures to cut roadside "clutter"
◊ To explore how technology can keep the traffic flowing
◊ To look at ways of providing drivers with better travel information
◊ To assess how signs can prevent accidents and improve road safety
◊ To try and improve drivers' understanding of road signs and traffic signals

The Minister urged all road users - including pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, highway authorities and motoring organisations to take part. The AA (essentially the founders of the road sign in the UK) have already agreed to join the panel and it is understood that the government has also asked English Heritage and local councils to participate. AA president Edmund King welcomed the move and said the motoring organisation would be asking its members for their opinions.

The review can't come soon enough for many road users. According to a recent pan-European survey of 8,000 motorists by motoring groups - including the AA - most drivers find road signs difficult to understand and 61% of them think there are too many of them.

In spite of this however, 82% of motorists prefer to use signs rather than "satnav" systems to navigate by when lost.

There have been attempts to codify the system throughout Europe, so in most countries, for instance, motorway signs are in blue while signs for tourist attractions are brown. Unfortunately, according to the survey a sizeable percentage of drivers don't understand the system, with 30% of those polled not recognising a brown tourist sign.

Some of the worst signs highlighted in the survey included one in the UK that was almost completely obscured by billboards. Another signpost in Italy gave directions to no less than 18 destinations, while countless other junction signs looked like a plate of – you guessed it - spaghetti.

Although critics may say the review is too little, too late - most people seem to agree that it's a step in the right direction for Britain's beleaguered road users. †

Latest News

NCD News Channel

Popular Insurers

Other Insurance News

Most Popular Stories

%%mostpopular%%

Read More Popular Stories >>