American Reacts to The Ultimate Guide to UK Road Signs 

Yes, reference to a "drop in the ocean" as we called them, where you could drive straight off into the water because there's nothing there to stop you. Mostly only seen in ports.

When my wife on our first date got lost on the way to our hotel and told them we were opposite the Kerway-side Inn not Key-side Inn I knew she was the one❤😂

@peterjenkins8522 -A better way of describing it than I managed.

also a word used internationally including america... though probably not one youd encounter unless coastal

This sign is often displayed at slipways onto ferry berths too

There is a UN convention on road signs. So many look similar outside the US.

Vienna Convention on Road Traffic

Not all of these are the same though, I saw quite a few signs in this video that I've never seen before and I live in Europe as well, for example you guys seem to have a lot more signs with white background than we do here, all of our warning signs for example have yellow backgrounds not white

​@@AHVENANDo you live in Scandinavia? I think the yellow background is so that the signs show up against the snow.

@@Escapee5931 well if we're gonna be picky, I don't technically live in Scandinavia, but northern Europe, more specifically Finland

And colour differentiates between Motorway and other roads

And other shapes as well as upside triangles are intended to be recognized by their shape alone, also from the reverse side.

Octagon STOP!

They did not show the lines on the Rd. I'll not go through them all but if you see a solid white line that means no overtaking . You would have to get someone to send you a highway code book.

​@@anthonyyarwoodI was taught the more paint on the road its nore dangrous

Yes, that's right. The inportant point Steve may not have grasped is that "Sign not in use" is not self-referencing: it is referring to another, adjacent sign!

In europe we just put a trash bag over the sign.

@@MrBulky992 well now I've learnt something, I'd always wondered why they were there and the only logical reason I could come up with was that when they removed the sign, but not the sign post they had to put sign not in use so people don't do something stupid thinking the sign has fallen off. I've never seen one bar possibly when there's road works to indicated road signs that are there are not in use and, they're always covered or painted over anyway so it seems pretty pointless to me.

Potentially you've got the situation that the post is installed, but the permanent sign isn't placed yet (because it's a different crew. or it's in preparation for a known future situation (heavy machinery will be in use soon, there's an attraction opening soon which will use the post for directions, there's a new junction being added a mile down the road, but it's not open yet)).

@@madbruvThey do that here as well, but some signs are massive! And the bin bags often blow off.

haha. We definitely have curves in our roads, the signs just look quite a bit different

That's an old one. I actually thought it came about because big old American cars were not very good at cornering.

It says the road bends to the left and then to the right

Don't Americans have things that "drive them round the bend"? Is that only a British saying?

@@brianharrison5500 And then there's the SERIES of bends sign. Similar ,but the z is on the huh abit.

And if you go fast enough you can leave the ground! There used to be a really good one on my route into Leeds.

Ah yeah! Definitely good to know haha

Yeah, I'm sure that does help!

I get your point, but in practice most people aren't that interested. Many drivers on the road don't know what half the signs mean.

I'm one of them lol.@@severnsea

I don’t drive but always studied my dad’s uk atlas which explained different road sign meanings. I always thought it was weird a plain red circle sign meant “no vehicles”.

@@severnsea Interest has nothing to do with it, I learned most relevant signs in primary school. We had traffic classes.

The 'Romans' did not create the first roads in Britain. The pre-celts did. Roads like the Ridgeway are thousands of years old. It is fairly straight too. Roman roads were also straight. The bendy nature comes from two main sources, the following of field boundaries and avoidance of natural features.

My favourite warning sign in Loch Lomond national park is a warning sign for red squirrels

I was speaking to an American friend about the "twistys", Roads that are fun to drive, that twist and turn all over the place - My friend has to drive to some sort of mountain road for that - I have to drive 5-10minutes in any direction to find a country lane. We have some incredible driving roads in England. (We also have some awful ones...)

@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle The romans built the roads - In a sense that it wasn't just dirt tracks that have been used and formed over time - They actually built foundations and footings (out of more than dirt and sticks, Stone, clay along with.... dirt and sticks were used) in certain areas so the road wouldn't collapse under heavy use or with rainfall. In that sense - They "built" them.

Thanks for this. I regularly drive up to Northern Ireland from Dublin and when I cross the border there are no speed limit signs. I just assumed the limit was 70mph, so I usually drive at around 65mph till I see a speed sign coming into Newry.

I think it might be just ever so slightly more British if the sign also showed a cup and saucer, indicating where you can get your cup of tea and slice of cake, at the Secret Nuclear Bunker cafe. We British are just so.....British! Can't help ourselves! 🇬🇧 😉

@@linesync I’d love to see what nuclear related items they are selling in the obligatory gift shop as you exit! I know people who go to a specific attraction just for the cafe, completely ignoring the attraction itself!

Mate, the first time I drove past that sign I almost crashed my car I was laughing that hard.

@@Bungle-UK Yep, I can totally believe it! That's (some of) the British people for you. We are just too cool/weird/unique to be any other nationality. "Ooh, so this is the very spot where all time and space began. That's nice dear. Do they have PG Tips? " 😉. As for souvenirs from the Secret Nuclear Bunker café Gift Shop.... well, there's got to be Glow-in-the-dark lily of the valley soap, Glow-in-the-dark honey, Glow-in-the-dark bookmarks (!) and of course Glow-in-the-dark tea bags, as well as postcards of the Secret Nuclear Bunker seen from above (i.e. photos of plain green fields) and of course fridge magnets in the shape of Geiger counters. ☢️

I think maybe ' SIGN NOT IN USE' may be more British. 🤔

This work was carried out in about 20 different countries simultaneously. Then in the late 50 there was a conference to unify the road signs across Europa (worth saying is that warsawapact countries was also in the conferanse). They hardly agreed on anything. Then there was a bunch more conferences after that in the 60 and early 70s and more and more signs was unified. Then it was entered in the Ten-T standard. Currently somewhere between 80-90 of UK road signs are unified with Ten-T standard. Its worth saying for some signs there is large flexibility in the standrad.

Also national speed limits change for cars to 60mph on single roads, duel carriageways cars national speed limit is 70mph

We used to have that sign in Ireland but they were all replaced with standard speed limit signs when we switched to km/h.

​@Ollybus unless you are in Wales, Where the 30 with streetlights is now 20 unless otherwise indicated..

Your correct in your comment but you forgot one important thing … you may do the National speed limit ( 70mph ) in accordance of your specific vehicle or the specific road ..( where it’s safe to do so )

@@Ollybus The 30/20 limit in street lit areas is not National Speed Limit, it's just automatically applied without the local Highway Authority needing to enact a Traffic Regulation Order, you return to NSL when you leave those areas.

The other shapes are used when 2 (or more) diversion routes cross or even join. if your diversion is the diamond another might be the circle etc.

I am glad you explained those to me. I have been driving for over 30 years and have never seen them nor had any idea what they meant!

I'm a bit puzzled. Those were super obvious to me, and we use something completely different in Germany (roadtype-coloured rectangles with "U1" to "U99" and an arrow inside them. "U" for Umleitung=diversion).

Sensible. Sadly I don't think this is done now? Correct me if I'm wrong.

@@xxSydneyFox It is in all the schools I teach in. It's called Bikeability now.

yes you are right just checked the government web sight, i didn`t know till your reply thanks@@Athelas93

In some places, when I was a kid you just rode however and tried to pay attention to cars travelling on your side or ride on the pavement. I’ve seen it more now as an adult, a school by me does it on my road

....and the words "Highway Maintenance" on road repair vehicles.

A much rarer used word these days is "byeways"

@@Rachel_M_ ...yes, that is very true, sadly. The Highways continue while the Byways slowly fade into history. A very good and perhaps slightly melancholy observation. It must be Autumn.

@@linesync i remember back in the day when we usually heard "highways and byways" together.

​@@linesync There are lots of signposts for 'Byway' in Wiltshire. Technically BOATs (byways open to all traffic) they are also known as 'green lanes'.

Okay, that makes sense. I like the idea of the pictures!

Probably a Tesla. 😂 Good post, but there are places where there are a ridiculous amount of signs in one area, often at large junctions in cities. Unless you actually stop it's physically impossible to read them all. They should reduce them unless they're absolutely necessary, especially given that they're always complaining they're broke.

@@reactingtomyroots The pictures are mostly international, with some very slight national design differences, the shape of the person in the signs for example has been simplified from a silhouette of a person to a stick figure type of image. Or in one country the image of the car might look slightly different. Also, homezones are areas where cars must drive the speed of walking, where the street is open for everyone at all times. So children playing in the middle of the street is allowed, people walking, etc. They're common in the Netherlands (where I'm told they were invented). The street is usually cobbled so cars can't drive very fast, there are sharp corners, chicanes, lots of dead ends (for cars only), obstacles, humps and other traffic calming measures to make sure cars cannot go fast.

Oh okay! That's good to know

​@@reactingtomyrootsThe blue minimum speed limit is used in tunnel entrances etc where driving slowly could seriously mess things up. Obviously, you can't do this speed if traffic is queued up ahead of you. The 'no vehicles carrying explosives' one is also usually associated with tunnels.

I don't think I've ever seen one, to be honest. They must be quite rare these days.

Suez oil crisis was 1956. 70mph national limit was brought in in in 1967 in those days it applied to all roads that weren't signed as a lower limit

The 60/70 limit was in use before the 1973 oil crisis - nothing to do with the Suez crisis. Then it was reduced to 50/50. After the crisis it returned to 60/70. That's why the sign is used - so the government can change the speed without re-signing the whole country.

The national speed limit varies by road type, but also vehicle type. Typically 50, 60 or 70 if dual carriage way. Ca4s can unless towing go up to the fastest speed for a given road, vans unless based on a car chassis are typically limited to 60 and lorries 50 in a lot of cases, though some can do 60, most companies restrict them to 50 or 56.

It's a necessity for old world cities which grow out from junctions in a rough circle , rather than new world, which are planned and laid out in grids.

Yeah it's hilarious seeing them say "whoa this road is SO NARROW" and yet to us it's just a regular A or B road 😂😂

Sometimes referred to as a bypass by the Americans I believe!!

I believe a US equivalent is "beltway".

The National Speed limit is different for different classes of vehicle. For HGV's on single track roads it is 50mph, for small cargo, buses or towing vehicles (vans etc.) it is 50mph and for cars it is 60mph. Higher limits apply for each type of vehicle on dual carriageways, dual carriageways with a separating barrier and for motorways

The UK follow the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, like the rest of Europe does and many other places, so the signs are the same in all these places irrespective of the local languages.

Yes, I notice that a lot of US signs are dependent on English text (e.g. "Yield", or "Road Work Ahead"), which is not ideal. There is English text on a lot of UK road signs, of course, but usually only informative, or providing supplemental information. The most important signs are the same across a wide range of countries, so do not rely on knowledge of the local language.

In Italy also: it’d be a nightmare driving cross-border without the Vienna convention signage

Sometimes the text below a sign is important. E.g. "Parking not allowed" with "only for busses" or "not valid for busses" (probably not like that in the real world). Or the time limits which he got wrong. That's comparatively easy in the UK, but in other countries you need a dictionary.

@@reinhard8053 that’s why symbols are used. Also usually the main “don’t” is the symbol and the exceptions are worded, so if you only understand the symbol and you obey to it you’re good.

@@davidebacchi9030 But you might miss a parking spot which would be allowed for you. Or you can drive the road because the exception is targeting you and only blocks very long or heavy trucks. Or it is a P for Parking, but below is the exception from the allowance. Either in time or type of vehicle. In Sweden there was a parking with some numbers(?) below it. These numbers belong to allowed vehicle types which are only used in Sweden. So you need some research to know what that means. In Denmark there is a writing with "1hour" but that also includes that you MUST use a parking disc which is not written. In other countries that is either not necessary or there is a symbol. So even obeying to all Dont's might not be enough. And even knowing the local language is not enough. Your really need to know all the fine details.

Yeah I can imagine. And that's a good idea! I'm sure I'll do that at some point

We used to have those national speed limit signs in Ireland but they were all replaced with standard speed limit signs when we switched to km/h.

The "national speed limit" sign was introduced as "no speed limit", and that's not really an issue when most cars cannot make it to 50mph. It soon became apparent that as speed capabilities increased, there needed to be a limit placed. I believe the UK government found it easier/cheaper to enact a national speed limit per road type, and not replace the signs. Most new development roads have the speed limit explicitly stated and don't rely so much on the NSL sign.

@@neilharbott8394 Yet in fact when the speed limit was scrapped, between 1930 and 1936 I believe, road deaths actually went DOWN and by a significant amount too, so I'm not totally convinced about the "as speed capabilities increased, there needed to be a limit placed" part, especially back then when the pace of change for technology was very slow

Okay, the pictures do make more sense when coming from that perspective!

In Germany a sign very similar to the national speed limit sign also includes all other rules (mainly for overtaking). If only the speed limit ends the speed number is included.

😂😂😂

There used to be an advert where the man in the sign opened the umbrella during the narrative.

I like to comment that when the local Council gets the road budget for the year and all the roadworks start that we're getting buried under a storm of men wrestling with their umbrellas.

In combination with Jock Kinneir, who was the typographer

I may send this chap a copy of Roadcraft, maybe The Highway Code too just because. If you want then dude they'll be yours.

They can also be used as permanent route markers to industrial areas.

@@johnclements6614 Around here, some of the 'diversions' have become semi-permenant.

For example cars being diverted towards London might have a solid black square on the diversion sign so would follow all further diversion signs with a solid black square. HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicles aka Trucks) might have a round empty sign to follow missing out weak bridges and hight restrictions on their diversion route.

On that example slide, there were 8 symbols. Meaning, up to 8 routes could merge and leave on 1 road. Each of the symbols would be like "bread-crumbs" for a specific diversion route. When entering a diverted route, the driver would be presented with only 1 of these symbols and then follows the same symbol along the diverted route until the end.

Exactly

You can just see the difference too. The British ones are reliant on shape and colouring to tell the message, not just the symbol in the middle. American ones rely heavily on text, and are mostly square or basically rotated squares (diamonds)

Hedgerow can also make spotting the bends difficult, so the more warnings the better.

only the Romans built straight roads, the Dutch put in straight drainage ditches so some of their roads are dead straight the rest were marked out by farmers coming home from the pub. I'm told

That sounds pretty intense! :)

@@ianprince1698 sounds way more plausible! 😂

Try Your Brakes also appears if your route takes you through a ford - country driving - or where the road has temporarily flooded - heavy rain, burst water main - but is still passable with care.

@@AndrewJLeslie - That's correct (and frankly kind of obvious) but over here no one puts up a sign telling drivers to do that, it's just taught in driving schools. We don't have fords and when a road is flooded they just close it down and don't let anyone drive through it.

Same for the Give Way sign, it's the only one that is an inverted triangle

Actually more complicated than that. The national speed limit depends on two factors, the type of road (single, dual carriageway, motorway) and the type of vehicle. I don't know them all but I know, for example, that cars towing a trailer or caravan are limited to 60 on a dual carriageways and motorways and 50 on single carriageways. Certain vans also have a similar limit but I think they get to still to 70 on motorways - obvioulsy if I drive such a van I would find out the exact details.

@@andyjdhurley Yeah - I overlooked cars towing caravans, LGVs with and without trailers (under 7.5 tons), HGVs (over 7.5 tons) and buses/coaches. A Transit or similar panel or Luton van is limited to 50 on a single carriageway, 60 on a dual carriageway and 70 on a motorway (60 if towing a trailer). Car derived vans are the same as regular cars.

Sometimes you end up with a cracked windscreen 😅

the thicker line identifies that this road has the right of way and you don't have stop at the crossing, just go right through. However, it warns you that there might be crazy, blind, or whatever drivers coming from the side roads. So, it tells you that is better to be safe than sorry, so be aware of the crossing. The roads with thinner lines must have a sign that tells that driver driver that he has to, that he must wait at the intersection until it is safe to move forward.

Every UK road user should be aware of the Official Highway Code, pedestrians, horse rider, drivers, etc! For more information about road signs there is a book "Know your Traffic Signs. I've looked through a copy and knew what the majority meant. On Motorways there is always a sign showing exits, at one mile, half mile and 300, 200 and 100 yards. Still get idiots pushing for exit at last moment!

@@Brian3989 I think you missed the point. A driving instructors job is to instruct. Where there is a lack of knowledge then they should convey that knowledge to the learner. Given that the sign was not in the highway code, it fell to the instructor to provide that information to the student but they failed to do so. In other words they were a poor instuctor. My own driving instructor was a nightmare, that put me off driving except anytime I needed to for my chosen occupation, which at that time was as a member of the British Army. Although I was being taught as part of my army career, the instructors were civilians, who were hired by the Army. This was done with 1 caar with instructor and 2 learners, swapping over from time to time during the course of a day. We'd fit fifty hours driving into a three week course. My first day I got to drive first and left camp and followed the directions that I was given, at least until we were appraoching a roundabout. The instructor gave me the following instruction. "At the roundabout ahead, take the road that leads to Darlington." I checked the signpost. The first exit was a small line and was unlabeled. The second was a larger line and included Darlington as a destination, but it also showed that it led to a motorway. Knowing, that as a learner, I was not permitted on a motorway, and given that only that this one exit mark was the only one to list Darlington, I assumed (wrongly) that we would travel down that road until directed to take another road prior to reaching the motorway. I entered the roundabout without any problem and followed what I believed was the correct route. As we passed the first, unlabeled exit the intructor slammed on the brake, bring the car to a halt, stalling the engine ("because I had not pressed in the clutch"), and most worrying caused an articulated lorry to narrowly avoiding hitting us. I was then berated for missing the exit, stalling the car, and nearly causing an accident. This berating included a lot of expletives. I point out that I was doing as instructed, and taking the exit that led to Darlington. My instructor said "This isn't the way we normally go to Darlington." I looked at him as if one of us is stupid, and said. "This is my first day. How am I supposed to know which way you would normally go?" All this time we were sat in the roundabout partly obstructing traffic, as my instructor refused to let me restart the car again until I had admitted that I was in the wrong. When we did start driving again we took the second exit (the one that was sign posted to Darlington and the motorway, and then took a turn onto a road before we reached the motorway, and we still reached Darlington, by this route, so I was not entirely wrong in my assumption. When the driving day was over and we got back to camp, the instructors filled in Captain Farmer, who was in charge of driver training, on the days events. I, and the other learner I was with, were summoned to his office to explain what had happened. My insturctor claimed that I had failed to follows his instructions, stalled the car on the roundabout, nearly caused a crash, and became abusive to him afterwards. I explained my version of events (as written above), and the other learner basically said that all he remembered was the lorry narrowly avoiding hitting us. Captain Farmer believed me, at least as far as the sign post was concerned, as he drove past it often enough, but also believed the instructor when he said that he had told me "to take the first exit". Things deteriorated from there, and in my second week, my instructor recommended dropping me from the course. As driving was a trade requirement, this would have resulted in over a year of basic and trade training being wasted, so Captain farmer arranged for a driving examiner to give me a mock test to see if I would continue driver training. Despite being required to carryout things that I hadn't yet been taught, the examiner reported back that I was fully able to pass a test. Despite this, at the end of my third week, my instructor refused to put me forward for the driving test, and as it needed the instructor to sign off, I was not allowed to sit my driving test at that time. A few months later I was again required to take the driver training course. This time I was hoping that I would get a different instructor, but was prepared if I didn't. I again got the same instructor, and before we set out on that first day, both me and the instructor had to meet with Captain Farmer. Captain Farmer said that he was pairing us up again and hoped for better this time around, and reminded the instructor that if I didn't get to pass my test this time, then I would have wasted over a year of training. When we set out this time I got to be the back seater, and the other learner was the driver. Being in the back seat let me use my secret weapon, a mini-cassette recorder. As we approached the same roundabout the instructor again gave the instruction, "At the roundabout ahead, take the road that leads to Darlington." If it wasn't for the seatbelt I'd have been jumping around for joy as I now had him on tape saying that. The learner who was driving made the same mistake that I had done on my first time, and again similar things happened, except for the near miss with an articualted lorry. Again there was another meeting with Captain Farmer. Again the instructor claimed that it was all the learners fault, and again the learner (this time not me) claimed otherwise. When Captain Farmer turned to me he asked if I had somehow arranged this as our two stories were so similar. My response was, "Sir, I will let [NAME REDACTED] tell you what happened in his own words." I then produced the mini-cassette recorder and pressed play, and everyone got to hear what actually happened. Me and the other learner were dismissed, and Captain Farmer "spoke" to the instructor. I was stuck with that instructor for the remainder of the three weeks, and at the end of it I was put forward for my driving test, over my instructors objections (seems Captain Farmer used the recording I had made to get him to sign off on me taking the test), and I passed. A few months after this I had to learn about military driving, such as operating in convoys, cross country driving, etc, etc. Once I got to my first working unit, which due to my trade being airfield support meant that I almost exclusively worked on RAF airfields (yes I was army but worked for the RAF), and I again had to learn new stuff. This time how to drive on airfields and around aircraft. I also had to take both written and practical tests to be able to drive in (what was then) West (and later become just) Germany. This was so I could drive military vehicles on German roads. At the end of all this I had a UK licence, a German driving permit (so I could operate military vehicles on German roads), and an airfield driving permit. In short, some instructors can be a-holes. Again, it is their job to instruct, and where there is a gap, they should fill that gap. They should never, as happened with me and at least one other, become abusive with a learner. The instructor described by @PLuMUK54 also sounds like an a-hole. Remember that the sign that was being complained about was NOT in the highway code, and when that was made clear to the instructor, no information, explanation or apology was forth coming. Chastising a learner for a lack of knowledge, when that knowledge is not listed in the highway code is abusive, and given that the instructor failed to provide the answer, it calls into question their own knowledge base.

And of course those speed limits apply on double bends! You really don’t want to try a ‘double bend’ at 60 😂. So it is also a warning to drive accordingly.

You must ist learn to understand British humour & irony. The last sentence here is a bad joke against Audi & BMW drivers who drive like the law and traffic rules don't apply to them. Unfortunately there are lot of them. But that same driving style is common to most car drivers and a lot of cyclists and disabled scooter (max 8mph) who ate not required to take a test and have never bothered to read the Highway Code even though they are allowed on the road: because they would be more dangerous on the pavement(footpath)

Ahhh okay! That sounds like the equivalent of our 'Detour' signs then. :)

Nice explanation. Yes, very easy to miss a diverted route sign and end up off-route for miles!

As a French living in North America, I am always amazed to see written signs instead of pictures. In some states, they will write the word Moose or Deer instead of actually showing the animals.

....and beware of tight, twisting possible hairpin bends, danger, use caution slow down to a few below units the accompanying posted speed limit sign's number. 😅

Got me thinking, in USA do they use the phrase "he/she's driving me round the bend!" ? 😅 as Steve said they don't tend to use the term 'bend'. (Probably cos they don't generally have the sharp double blind bends)

A double bend is a specific hazard. The driver may take the bend ahead in a certain manner, in believe the road will then straighten out. Having to suddenly change direction could cause the vehicle to 'Fishtail' throwing the vehicle off the road, or into oncoming traffic.

we tend to use the term 'curves'

@reactingtomyroots that sounds too sexy - say curves in the UK men will have totally different thing in mind 😜😅

Helps if you did orienteering as a kid and saw separate trails using those symbols marked out, though different colours is another way the trails are differentiated.

20 in Wales now 😩

It’s because most only memorise them to pass their theory test, once they past they forget 90% of them lol

Good point!

I was going to say the same. There's plenty of apps offering a mock test

Yeah I'll have to do that soon

Also worth noting that in the UK (unlike some other countries) the two-way bend sign shows exactly what the road is about to do, not just a general indication that the road ahead is twisty

You are wrong about the point at the top of the junction signs and has nothing to do with religion. The point shows direction of travel. If you look at a bend in the road sign it too has a point. The crossing sign with priority over traffic on the right has the right side road thinner than the left and thicker on the right showing the priority. Where I live no A roads are divided by a verge or dual carriageways, they are all single carriageways but I do live in rural Scotland!! Crazy how the network differs in such a small country!

@@westhighlandwarrior6998 So, I genuinely understood that to be the case from ages ago when I was learning I remember an instructor saying something along those lines. As to the A roads thing, yeah a lot of A roads in England and Wales aren't dual carriageway either, but I couldn't think of a better way to give a generalisation of the difference between A and B roads that would work to someone unfamiliar with our road network. Correct me if I'm wrong but the NC500 is mainly A roads isn't it? And they're single carriageways?

@@MartinNelson No, nothing whatsoever to do with religion. The thicker line with the point actually denotes the main road, generally the one that would have the right of way at crossroads or the "through route" (you would have to stop of give way on the road with the thinner line. Often the thicker line would be the A road and the thinner one a B road but that's not always the case, they could be 2 A roads or 2 B roads. Yes, lots of A roads can be single track roads (including the NC500 in parts) and a B road could be a dual carriageway! The difference is that an A road generally denotes the main route between two points, e.g. 2 towns. B roads are usually link roads, for example linking two A roads. Of course there are so many now that it's all a bot of a jumble, but that's the main difference.

Small correction the A1 (M) is part of the A1 not the M1. While the M1 does merge with the A1 and and then is the A1 (M), it starts being the A1 (M) before then and there a bit of the A1 around Peterbrough that just becomes the A1 (M) for a bit and then goes back to the A1. I believe the "(M)" exists so that motorway restrictions can be applied to historically non motorway roads

It's not that much different, well when I did mine it wasn't but that was 20 years ago now. 90% of it was the same as the car theory test

@@derekdelboytrotter8881 it's a separate test. Diffrent from the car one. Did mine about 3 years ago.

@@101steel4 they must have changed it since I did mine, they have changed a lot of things. Even they way you do your test has changed, when I did mine I did the A2 test which restricts you to 250cc for 2 years then you can ride whatever you wanted but I think now you can only do the full direct access version of the test, correct me if I'm wrong by all means

​@derekdelboytrotter8881 You can only do "direct access" if you are over 25, otherwise it's A2

@@danewood2309 oh really? I was 19 when I did the A2, but I had the choice to do direct access but it would have cost me like £500

You get minimum speed limits in tunnels usually.

Minimum speed limits and the no explosives signs are both normally posted at the entrance to tunnels

Sometimes, on a highway with 2 or more lanes you will find the minimum speed limit sign. This indicates that some of those lanes are fast lanes, so if you want to drive on those lanes you must obey the minimum speed limit indicated, avoiding this way, slowing down the traffic behind you. If you want to drive slower, then move to a slow lane. In most of Europe, the right lane is the slowest one. Suppose you are driving across some moutains, climbing a steep hill and ahead of you there are a few trucks with heavy loads moving slowly, on the right lane. So, to overtake those trucks you move to the fast lane. Now, if you drive slowly on that fast lane, you are blocking all the traffic behind you. So, this traffic signs just tells you that you are not allowed to use that lane unless you drive faster than the minimum speed limit (and below the maximum allowed by law, of course). If there are like 3 lanes, one of them might have a minimum speed of 100Km/h (left lane), the center lane with a minimum speed of 70Km/h, and the right lane has no speed information. HOWEVER, you MUST drive on that lane if you don't want to overtake anybody and the maximum speed limit for all lanes is what the law allows for that road. Those signs make sense if you are driving on a busy road with 2 or more lanes and with lots of slow moving traffic.

Here's an example of the Minimum Speed Limit sign - maps.app.goo.gl/NzN4ix9bSNdda6F1A

If you ever get to drive through Lincoln you will ge able to see the No Explosives sign when head up to or down from the Cathedral Quarter on the main road on the eastern side of the Cathedral Quarter. It's the only place I know where this sign has been put up due to the steepness of the road.

It is usually attached to the road sign it is referring to.

hahah yeah, seems kinda unnecessary. although, if as someone pointed out it's attached to a different road sign I guess that makes more sense

Even the police make mistakes too. I was pulled over for going over 60 on a single lane dual carriageway last summer.

You can reformulate it as being the end of any special speed restrictions. From now on you need to obey the national speed restrictions (inside city, outside city and highway speeds)

Also depends on the street lighting options

Take a look a 20mph limits in Wales lol

actually the speed you drive at is dependant on the driving conditions, you can and will be charged if you are driving at a speed unsuitable to the conditions, if you are driving at the speed limit in heavy rain or snow or fog you can be charged for speeding

Have you ever tried "bridge curling"? It's like ice curling, but with your car. Basically, when you know a suitable bridge is approaching, you have to go at a specific decided speed (eg somewhere between 10mph to 20mph) and then quickly put your foot on the clutch to coast towards the bridge. The goal is to judge the distance required to stop exactly on the bridge without rolling off (for at least a few seconds). Great fun with passengers, but the point you have to coast from will change depending on the loaded weight of the car, which adds a new challenge trying to figure out how much further or shorter having your uncle on board will cause you to travel! ( Of course, be safe. Typically best played only on familiar roads, and at night to not inconvenience other road users whilst you drift along at 5mph.)

@@UnknownSquid I was born near Portsmouth and there were a couple of humpback bridges. I been living in Germany now over 50 years and have never seen a humpback bridge here. So I won't be able to have a go at bridge curling 🙂

You find a lot of humpback bridges are for crossing canals..

Boooooeeee😂😂

Believe Americans pronounce 'buoy' as 'boo-ee', which is close to the French name for navigation buoy.

Also sometimes get them next to canals or rivers where there is no road barriers separating them. Another place you see it is on small bridges over streams or raised up fording points which don't have side barriers stopping you going into deeper water.

The sign originally meant the the road had no set speed limit (a de-restricted road). It was repurposed to indicate The National Speed Limit when it was introduced in 1965. It was initially a short-term experiment that was extended and then made permanent in 1967.

It was originally called a 'delimiter' because it meant there was NO speed limit - until the 70 maximum was brought in. That's why in concept it is a 'cancelling' style sign, with the diagonal bar but no red ring to mean prohibition.

You do have to be a bit careful on dual carriageways not to assume it's automatically a 70mph limit. Several years ago, I was stuck in a broken down car on a dual carriageway, with a police car parked behind us with its lights on as protection until the breakdown service arrived, and police told us that that dual carriageway was only 60mph, but because it didn't have clear signage, people assumed that it was 70mph limit and a lot of people ended up with speeding tickets along there. That road has only a single speed limit sign to indicate when it changes to a 60 limit, but that is enough for the speeding tickets to stick, even though on windy days it can be partly obscured by a tree.