Do drivers know their road signs?

As Brits prepare for the Bank Holiday weekend

With the Bank Holiday weekend set to see many families heading on the roads – either to return from the summer vacation or get a last break before the kids head back to school – it seems that almost half of UK drivers are not sure about what some of the country’s most common road signs mean.

In the Europcar UK commissioned research*, drivers were asked to identify 8 road signs including signs for ‘no-bus zone’, ‘uneven road’ and ‘no through road’. Reassuringly, 9 in 10 drivers could correctly name the ‘lane closure’ sign on motorways. However, 40 per cent of drivers confused a ‘bump in the road’ with a ‘speed bump’ sign.

Regionally, motorists from the North East and Wales scored the highest overall, correctly answering 5 of the questions on average compared to drivers in London who answered less than half the correct answers. Just 26 per cent of drivers in the West Midlands and South East recognised the sign which identified a ‘No bus zone’. It was the ‘No Vehicles past this point’ sign which drivers in the North West and East Midlands struggled with – just 16 per cent correctly named it. 

“With hundreds of signs frequenting the UK’s roadside, it’s understandable that drivers can end up getting a little lost with their meanings”, said Gary Smith, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group. “Although Europcar UK can’t help drivers to identify road signs on their journey, we can give drivers one less thing to worry about knowing they’ll be travelling in a vehicle with plenty of space for the whole family to get away this Bank Holiday weekend.”