Dangerous Motorway signs

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Mon 8 Aug 2005 16:23
Dangerous Motorway signs - TheGrocer
The new overhead motorway signs on the M25 which inform drivers of impending doom or even to Not Drink & Drive!!! Well I have view that says they will or perhaps have caused rear end shunts.
Heres why:
M25 Busy (as usual) and its summer, a Saturday in August when all the occasional drivers with caravans and roof boxes and camper vans..you get the picture.. are on the holiday trip from hell.

The traffic is slow from Jct 9 through to Heathrow and then onto the M1. Every over head sign is flashing with...wait for it ... Congestion Ahead or Q after Junction. the momment Mr or Mrs occasional driver sees these signs they panic and step on the brakes. Im not sure what makes people jump on the brakes for no obvious reason other than they are distracted or cant read the sign. Everybody behind over reacts and the whole road grinds to a halt. I honestly believe that thease signs cause delays beacuse everyone is struggling to read them.
IMHO we have way too much "Road Furniture" on both A roads and M roads.. The operater who turns these signs on must have a degree in stating the obvious"


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\" Keep doing the same old thing, youll get the same old thing, try something different today!\"
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Mon 8 Aug 2005 19:29
Dangerous Motorway signs - cockle {P}
Funny you should mention this, same thought went through my mind on Saturday.
I was coming back from M1 clockwise on the M25 when the signs started to come on warning of congestion between J24 & J25, straight away people started to brake to read the signs, and did so at each of the next signs. Created some lovely bunching which I always think is the most dangerous thing on a motorway. Phenomenon is not restricted to M25 though, similar thing was happening southbound on M1 in Notts where all the signs were warning about problems on the A14. I think the problem is that many of the signs seem to carry quite a bit of info and it is difficult to read and digest it whilst keeping an eye on the traffic in front hence the natural tendency to ease off on the speed which eventually causes braking some distance back. Also some of the info assumes you know the local routes which can cause more confusion amongst the through traveller who probably only really knows that he/she needs the M1 for 70 miles and hasn't really a clue about which roads will by pass the problem.
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