24 April 2001: Inferior driver testing procedures and the proliferation of substandard signage in this country have been slammed by the director of RAC Ireland, Robert Taylor.

Commenting on the results of a recent RAC survey in the UK which found a majority of motorists unable to correctly identify road signs, Taylor suggested 'even worse results' could be expected from a similar survey in Ireland.

"Signage is a core instrument of road safety, and one that has suffered from lack of investment in Ireland," he said. "In particular we would highlight the inadequacy, indeed absence, of signs actively promoting safe driving - such as those indicating speed limits, use of lanes and dangerous stretches.

Taylor said that driver behaviour has rightly been pinpointed as being at the root of our road accident epidemic. "Signs play a key role in conditioning that behaviour. They need to be there and they need to be understood."

In the UK survey, the misinterpretation of signs ranges from the eccentric to downright dangerous. For example, the warning sign that indicates that accompanied horses are nearby was identified by a number of respondents as meaning 'Marlboro Country', as in the cigarette advertisement. The sign for a migratory toad crossing was incorrectly understood to mean "French restaurant ahead". Furthermore, the warning sign which indicates that motorists should be aware of cattle was misinterpreted by 60% of motorists as being a "foot and mouth infected area."

It also revealed that
* Only one in ten drivers understood the sign that shows a dual carriageway has ended.
* One in five thought that the sign ordering drivers to give way to vehicles from the opposite direction meant "one way street ahead"
* One in 20 motorists took the warning sign for areas with cross winds to mean "kite flying area ahead".

Some 68% of motorists surveyed admitted to never even glancing at the Rules of the Road (Highway Code) since passing their driving tests, in some cases 40 years previously. "The findings present a strong case for rethinking current procedures, whereby passing the driving test is effectively a licence-for-life," concludes Taylor.

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