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I've noticed a few of these last week, they're usually on wheels, so most likely a temporary warning. Are these primarily aimed at holiday traffic and if so why not use the permanent electronic signs which tell us to Take a Break, or that there's a non-existent queue ahead.
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those concrete ones cost £100,000 each alledgedly so whats wrong with spending another £20,000 on a mobile one ;-(
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Even if they cost £100000 I wonder how many motorists they prevent from actually running out of fuel. (Only long drive of the year, kids screaming in the back, SWMBO throwing a fit.....). Maybe it is cost effective if it prevents just one motorway fast lane failure, police call out, recovery operation, tailbacks, consequent nose to tail shunts, the odd fatal accident, coach going down the embankment......
£100000 does not go far to cover the cost of that lot!
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pmh (was peter)
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If thats the case then there really is no hope and we deserve every stupid regulation that the Gov throw at us.'Remind me to fill up'what ever next,'make sure you use the toilet','take a break tiredness kills' oh sorry we already have that one.I despair of what we are sleepwalking into.
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Nanny state - unbelievable. It's good to see our hard-earned being well spent.
How long before the message "Remember to Breathe"?
Regards
Paul
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Well there must be a few "remember to waste taxpayers' money" signs up at the Department for Transport! ;-)
Maybe it wouldn't do the world any harm if some of the idiots out there forgot to breathe! Darwin was no fool.
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Are drivers getting that dim? Surely every car's fitted with a fuel gauge, and most have a warning light that comes on with 20-odd miles to spare. Some even beep at you to tell you to fill up. Personally haven't ever run out of fuel, and can't ever see myself unless my gauge becomes faulty, and then not even one of these idiot-signs will save me! ;-)
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I too despair at signs like this..........the more you regulate people, the less some will think for themselves.......and they're the twits who hog the middle lane, don't plan ahead properly, etc, etc
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Nobody runs out of fuel becuase they forget to look at a fuel guage. They run out becuase they dont believe the guage they have, so what chance reading a damn sign.
Sheer waste of electricity.
------------------------------
< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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I ran out of fuel on the M3 last year, managed to get to the bottom of the off ramp at the Basingstoke junction. Thanks to the bloke who drove me to the nearest open petrol station and back to the car. It'd have been a very long cold walk otherwise.
The gauge was reading 1/4 full when it ran out!
--
I read often, only post occasionally
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What car was that? I heard few Renaults give faulty fuel sign.
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I assume that as they are matrix signs they can be used for other messages....
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At least a couple of them were within a mile or so of the permanent matrix signs though.
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I saw a couple on the M6 the other day I don't understand why they have them either, the jouney time/distance ones are useful.
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Saw some of these today on either the A19 or the A1, can't recall which.
Seem a bit stupid to me, what next?
"Phone your Mum"
"Don't sleep and drive"
"Twister should not be played by the driver in lane three at 85mph"
"If it's between your wrist and shoulder, that's your elbow. If you're sat on it, that your .."
Thinking though, does this mean I can run out of fuel in places with no matrix signs and then charge the cost of sorting it out to the highways agency because they didn't warn me.
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Rather like the signs that remind people that the following things are likely to cause accidents:-
Being drunk
Falling Asleep
Driving like a lunatic
and now
Your Car will not work without fuel
Do you ever think we help people too much in this country?
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At least it is easy to understand the message.
There was a standard triangular format road sign on the A312 Harlington Road East at Feltham ( just south of Heathrow)
Beneath the ! in the triangle, the sign said "Trees removed"
That is what I call a really good meaningful sign. :-((
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Accident Blackspot Ahead-
Last chance to change underwear
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Do you ever think we help people too much in this country?
There was a letter from someone on HJ's letters page this week, complaining that he'd not been sent a reminder letter about his road tax, and then been fined.
He didn't think he'd been helped enough.
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I welcome these signs, as one of those who likes to play "Fuel Gauge Roulette". Stops you getting bored on a long motorway journey, there's nothing like a warning light that's been on for 30 miles and still another 20 to the next services to concentrate the mind.
--
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I imagine the 'check fuel' message is kind of a 'test card' for the sign - a default message when there is nothing more important to put on.
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On the trafficscotland website you can see the messages displayed on all 140 odd variable signs up here. depending on the time of year they can show "Happy christmas, dont drink and drive" and a variety of other "test cards".
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Its an obvious development, really... they've got tired of telling us to 'Think!' - that is SO last Government.
Now they're telling us WHAT to think - very Gordon.
The time leaving will get really urgent is when they can tell what we ARE thinking!
(Maybe they already can, reading this... aieee, where's me coat!)
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Checked it..yep! still unleaded petrol! how ridiculous! how wasteful.
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I'm waiting for the sign that says 'Breathe In' followed 100 yards down the carriageway by 'Now Breathe Out' etc etc...
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Saw one of these on the southbound carriageway of A1(M) tonight, it's just after the Durham services exit (J61). While there's a service area just off the next junction (J60) it's not actually signed from the m'way, so the sign is utterly useless.
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I imagine the 'check fuel' message is kind of a 'test card' for the sign - a default message when there is nothing more important to put on.
Sounds right to me. The electricity supply needs to run to the sign anyway, so why not have it display something vaguely useful.
Of course a better one would be, "CARS: if you're not prepared to do 70mph, get the pink fluffy dice out of the middle/outer lanes!!"
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I saw the ones in Durham and Washington recently - the Washington one is just before the services so I'm expecting one a couple of miles down the road saying 'Ha Ha Told you so..' in a few days...
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Of course a better one would be "CARS: if you're not prepared to do 70mph get the pink fluffy dice out of the middle/outer lanes!!"
I think I'd prefer "If you don't keep a 2-second gap from the car ahead, we're gonna turn your home into Falluja". Supportively and non-violently, of course :)
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"CARS: if you're not prepared to do 70mph get the pink fluffy dice out of the middle/outer lanes!!"
They wouldn't understand jase1. They think they have a 'right' to waddle along in the way because they're incompetent or wimpish. Actually the sign should be before the entry to the motorway and should divert those who can't drive at the ludicrously low nsl onto alternative routes.
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I wouldn't be surprised to hear that half the cars seen stopped on the hard shoulder are out of fuel - in which case, nannying though it might be, I could understand our masters thinking it a good idea to put these reminders on the signs.
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I saw the same sign yesterday just before the services on the M1 near Wakefield. Both signs were temporary ones attached to trailers. There must be evidence that drivers are increasingly running out of fuel on motorways (an offence in itself) and as we know the last place you want to be is on a hard shoulder with a problem which is easily preventable.
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Surely these messages crop up if you're on a carriage motorway etc where there isn't a service station for many miles after the next one?
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Not too long I'd wager before someone sues the Highways Agency because there wasn't a sign reminding them not to run out of fuel, since it's now their 'responsibility'.
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