Road Signs

Fun Facts About Road Signs

• The first road signs in the United States were erected by the League of American Wheelmen to encourage bicycle tourism during their Good Roads Movement in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Many of the road signs simply read "This is a good road."
• The red octagon is a globally recognized symbol for STOP. It is unique, no other traffic sign in the world uses the shape, so it is instantly recognizable even if the word is missing or in another language.
• Before 1922, there was no universal stop sign. There were over 100 different designs (shape, lettering, color) in the U.S. alone. Standardization efforts began in 1924, but it was only in 1954 that the red octagon shape with white lettering became mandated across the nation.
• A police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma invented the first yield sign in 1950 for a dangerous intersection in his city.
• Icelandic folklore about hidden people is so integrated into the culture that you will come across "Elves Crossing" road signs in some parts of the country.
• Australia has an official road sign featuring a stylized silhouette of a wombat to warn drivers of the risk of hitting these slow-moving but heavy animals which can cause significant damage to vehicles.
• During World War II, Britain removed or painted over road signs to confuse potential invading forces. This low-tech but effective defensive measure continues in modern conflicts.
• The font used on most U.S. highway signs (Highway Gothic) was specifically designed for maximum legibility at high speeds and distances. It was developed and tested in California in the late-1940s, and officially adopted nationwide beginning in 1948.