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How to Interpret Road Signs in Europe

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Driving rules in Europe are very complex. Indeed, all of the various indications are essential to safe and efficient driving. Foreign travellers are often unaware of some of the driving rules existing in this part of the world, and as such can potentially be at risk. Fortunately, there has been a sustained effort to harmonize the road panels throughout all European countries in the past years. Some of the indications still differ from one country to the next, but the panels are conceived intuitively enough so that the driver may understand a panel when seeing it for the very first time.

Road panels are to be understood as a form of communication between drivers. They obey a code which allows the drivers to understand what they must do to safely go to their destinations.

A road panel has one of three functions:

To warn the driver;
To give an order to the driver (either something he cannot do or something he must do);
Inform the driver by giving him informations;

Here is a list of all types of road panels in Europe:

Shape

Colours 1

Colours 2

Warning

Permanent

Temporary

Mandatory

Interdiction

End of interdiction

Obligation

End of obligation

Informatory

Driving information

Indication of installation

In this way, each shape, each colour, and each symbol constitute a unique message when they are associated to one-another. Hence:

Order

Interdiction

Bycicle

Road closed to bycicles

Here are some examples:

Sharp turn

Road ends at dock

Bicycle crossing

Railroad crossing with fence

Railroad crossing without fence

Yield to all vehicles coming

from the right

Roundabout

Misc. Warning

(often accompanied by

other indications)

No entry

Wrong way

Road closed to cars

No right turn

No passing

No closer than 70m

to leading cars

Yield to oncoming traffic

(interdiction of priority)

Speed limit

Obligation to go straight

Obligation to turn right

before this pannel

Obligation to turn left or right

Obligation to pass obstacle

by the right

Obligation for bicycles to use this road

Minimum speed obligation

End of minimum speed obligation

Obligation to turn left

at the next intersection

One-way circulation

End of one-way circulation

Dead end

Parking area

Recommended driving speed

Pedestrian crossing area

First-aid area

Emergency telephone

Furthermore, road panels in Europe can be combined to create more elaborate indications. Here are some examples.

Yeld to traffic comming from the left

(the main road is indicated in bold)

The turn will occur in 300m

There will be dangerous curves

during 100m

No entry for buses

Road closed to trucks weighing

more than 15 tonnes

Parking area for buses

Speed limit for turn

All vehicles must go straight,

but trucks must take another road

Panels do change slightly from one European country to the next, but they generally respect the same language codes. Hence, some symbols are more intuitive than others for the foreign driver. But knowing the basic codes of road communication is a first step in adapting to the driving climate and enjoying it.

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Alexandre Chiappa

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Lyon, France

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<h1>How to Interpret Road Signs in Europe</h1><p align="justify">Driving rules in Europe are very complex. Indeed, all of the various indications are essential to safe and efficient driving. Foreign travellers are often unaware of some of the driving rules existing in this part of the world, and as such can potentially be at risk. Fortunately, there has been a sustained effort to harmonize the road panels throughout all European countries in the past years. Some of the indications still differ from one country to the next, but the panels are conceived intuitively enough so that the driver may understand a panel when seeing it for the very first time.</p>
<p align="justify">Road panels are to be understood as a form of communication between drivers.&nbsp;They obey a code which allows the drivers to understand what they must do to safely go to their destinations.</p>
<p>A&nbsp;road panel has one of three functions:</p>
<ol>
    <li>To warn the driver;</li>
    <li>To give an order to the driver (either something he cannot do or something he must do);</li>
    <li>Inform the driver by giving him informations;</li>
</ol>
<p align="justify">Here is a list of all types of road panels in Europe:</p>
<p align="center">
<table border="1">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <th>Shape</th>
            <th>Colours 1</th>
            <th>Colours 2</th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/danger.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Warning</p>
            </th>
            <td>
            <p align="center">&nbsp;<img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/permanent.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Permanent</p>
            </td>
            <td>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/temporaire.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Temporary</p>
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/ordre.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Mandatory</p>
            </th>
            <td>
            <table border="0">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td>
                        <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/interdiction.jpg" /></p>
                        <p align="center">Interdiction</p>
                        </td>
                        <td>
                        <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/fin dinterdiction.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>End of interdiction</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
            <td>
            <table border="0">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td>
                        <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/obligation.jpg" /></p>
                        <p align="center">Obligation</p>
                        </td>
                        <td>
                        <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/fin dobligation.jpg" /></p>
                        <p align="center">End of obligation</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/indication.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Informatory</p>
            </th>
            <td>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/pourlaconduite.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Driving information</p>
            </td>
            <td>
            <p align="center"><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/installations.jpg" /></p>
            <p align="center">Indication of installation</p>
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
</p>
<p align="justify">In this way, each shape, each colour, and each symbol constitute a unique message when they are associated to one-another. Hence:</p>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" summary="ns table compliance" cellpadding="0" align="center">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="0" summary="message" cellpadding="0">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/ordre(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Order</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center"><strong><font size="4">+</font></strong></td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/interdiction(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Interdiction</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center"><strong><font size="4">+</font></strong></td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/bycicle.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Bycicle</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center"><strong><font size="4">=</font></strong></td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/message.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Road closed to bycicles</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
<p align="justify">Here are some examples:</p>
<table border="1" summary="ns table compliance" width="100%">
    <tbody>
        <p align="center"><font size="4">
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="5" summary="" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/rightturn.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Sharp turn</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/dock.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Road ends at dock</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/bycicle(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Bicycle crossing</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/crossing.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Railroad crossing with fence</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/crossing2.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Railroad crossing without fence</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="72" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/yeld2.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>&nbsp;Yield to all vehicles coming</p>
                        <p>from the right</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/round.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Roundabout</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/other.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Misc.&nbsp;Warning</p>
                        <p>(often accompanied by</p>
                        <p>other indications)</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        </font></p>
    </tbody>
</table>
<table border="1" summary="ns table compliance" width="100%">
    <tbody>
        <p align="center"><font size="4">
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="5" summary="" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/noentry.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>No entry</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/wrongway.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Wrong way</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/noentrycars.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Road closed to cars</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/norightturn.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>No right turn</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/nopassing.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>No passing</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/safedistance.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>&nbsp;No closer than 70m</p>
                        <p>to leading cars</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/yeld3.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Yield to oncoming traffic</p>
                        <p>(interdiction of priority)</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/speedlimit.jpg" /></p>
                        Speed limit</td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        </font></p>
    </tbody>
</table>
<table border="1" summary="ns table compliance" width="100%">
    <tbody>
        <p align="center"><font size="4">
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="5" summary="" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/straight.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Obligation to go straight</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/right.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Obligation to turn right</p>
                        <p>before this pannel</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/rightorleft.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Obligation to turn left or right</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/rightobstacle.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Obligation to pass obstacle</p>
                        <p>by the right</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/bycicle(2).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Obligation for bicycles to use this road</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/minimum.jpg" /></p>
                        Minimum speed obligation</td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/minimumend.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>End of minimum speed obligation</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/turn.jpg" /></p>
                        Obligation to turn left
                        <p>at the next intersection</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        </font></p>
    </tbody>
</table>
<table border="1" summary="ns table compliance" width="100%">
    <tbody>
        <p align="center"><font size="4">
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="5" summary="" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="76" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/one-way circulation.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>One-way circulation</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="76" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/end of one-way.jpg" /></p>
                        End of one-way circulation</td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/deadend.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Dead end</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/park.jpg" /></p>
                        Parking area</td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/speed(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Recommended driving speed</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/pedestrian crossing.jpg" /></p>
                        Pedestrian crossing area</td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/hospital.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>First-aid area</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/sos.jpg" /></p>
                        Emergency telephone</td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        </font></p>
    </tbody>
</table>
<p>Furthermore, road panels in Europe can be combined to create more elaborate indications.&nbsp;Here are some examples.</p>
<table border="1" summary="ns table compliance" width="100%">
    <tbody>
        <p align="center"><font size="4">
        <tr>
            <td>
            <table border="0" cellspacing="5" summary="" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="72" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/yeld1.jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/left.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Yeld to traffic comming from the left</p>
                        <p>(the main road is indicated in bold)</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/rightturn(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="34" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/distance.jpg" /></p>
                        The turn will occur in 300m</td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/curves.jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="35" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/distance2.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>There will be dangerous curves</p>
                        <p>during 100m</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/noentry(2).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="32" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/bus.jpg" /></p>
                        No entry for buses</td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="74" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/truck(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" width="75" height="33" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/tones.jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Road closed to trucks weighing</p>
                        <p>more than 15 tonnes</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/park(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="32" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/bus(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Parking area for buses</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="71" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/rightturn(2).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/speedlimit(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p>Speed limit for turn</p>
                        </td>
                        <td align="center">
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="75" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/straight(1).jpg" /></p>
                        <p><img alt="" align="middle" width="75" height="74" src="http://factoidz.com/images/user/truck(2).jpg" /></p>
                        All vehicles must go straight,
                        <p>but trucks must take another road</p>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
        </font></p>
    </tbody>
</table>
<p>Panels do change slightly from one European country to the next, but they generally respect the same language codes. Hence, some symbols are more intuitive than others for the foreign driver.&nbsp;But knowing the basic codes of road communication is a first step in adapting to the driving climate and enjoying it.</p><p>Original article: <a href='http://factoidz.com/road-signs-in-europe/' title='How to Interpret Road Signs in Europe'>How to Interpret Road Signs in Europe</a> - written by Alexandre Chiappa on <a href='http://factoidz.com'>Factoidz</a></p>

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