Do you REALLY know your road signs?

There’s no denying the crucial role that road signs play on our roads. As drivers, we probably pass thousands of them every week and we should all know exactly what all of them mean. But do we? And more importantly, do YOU?

There’s one easy way to find out how good you are at reading the signs that keep our traffic in order. Take our quiz.

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We all learn how to tell the difference between the various UK road signs when we take our driving test – a process that usually involves studying the Highway Code. Knowing the difference between a ‘no entry’ sign and a ‘no through road’ sign is a useful skill, and even knowing when and where cycles are permitted can be trickier to understand for learner drivers.

The industry standard road signs we have today came about as a reaction to the quickly-expanding road network in the 1950’s. The first motorways, including the M1, quickly needed a standardised set of signs that were easy to read at speeds over 50mph. 

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The signs we have to come to know so well have rarely changed since then, with even the ‘Transport’ typeface they use becoming a well-known font. UK road sign design has crept across the globe too, with examples being used on roads in Portugal, Kuwait, India and Tanzania.

So do you know your UK road signs? Know the difference between your no entry and your no through road? What about level crossings, side winds and roadworks? Take our quiz to find out just how good you are!