Why Are Traffic Signs Important? What Is The Meaning Of Various Road Signs In Australia?

5 Reasons Why Traffic Signs Are Important

With the evolution of cars, traffic signs also have evolved with time. If you want to experience a smoother drive, traffic signs are unavoidable. Here we discuss five significant reasons why traffic signs are essential.

These signs ensure maximum safety

One of the most crucial benefits of traffic signs is ensuring maximum safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

If there were no traffic signs, roads would have been dangerous and chaotic. Drivers would have been unaware of when they should yield, stop, or how fast their speed should be.

Without traffic signs, drivers would also not have any idea of any upcoming obstacle. Reckless drivers would have quickly put themselves and other fellow drivers on the road in grave danger. But with traffic signs beside the roads, the drivers can understand the rules and drive safely.

Traffic signs are kept consistent across entire Australia. For this reason, drivers do not find it difficult to drive while going from one state to another.

In addition to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are highly benefited from the road signs. People can quickly know where and when they should cross the road so that the drivers can get alerted.

Cyclists can also check the bike routes they can pass through and whether they need to yield to pedestrians. This way, everyone on the road can obey the rules and safely share the spaces. To avoid such a situation one must enrol to the corporate driver training Perth and become a job-ready professional.

Traffic signs can be easily understood

One of the unique features of traffic signs is their designs. Instead of using words or sentences, pictures are used to convey the message. While going through the highways in the Australian countryside, you will frequently come across signs of warnings for kangaroos or speed bumps on the road, depicted in pictures. You can learn the meaning of such signs through the driving lesson Perth.

Thus, even if you don’t know the country’s official language, you can easily understand what to do. Colours also play a huge role. While yellow points out the caution, red asks a driver to stop or yield.

Traffic signs serve great benefits to new drivers

For experienced drivers, becoming familiar with the roads is not uncommon. Most of them repeatedly travel through specific routes, and therefore, do not bother much about the street signs. But for new drivers, these street signs are effective tools to learn routes.

The more signs they come across, the more information they gather. So, if you are new to Australian roads, doing some research on these signs is no less mandatory.

Street signs give the drivers warnings about unexpected things

If you think street signs only tell you when to stop or limit your speed, you are wrong. They offer something more. Sometimes, you may come across temporary signs, such as signs around construction zones. While encountering these types of signs, you may have to divert your usual route. Noticing temporary signs is highly essential if you want to avoid potentially dangerous obstacles.

Traffic signs manage the flow of traffic, thus helping the drivers reach their destinations

In many major cities, traffic is a serious problem that drivers always face. The situation can become highly chaotic in a quick time. However, traffic signs manage traffic flow, thus reducing the risks of accidents. Four-way stops right turn on red, yields are communicated with signs.

Drivers also find relevant information about how far they are from their destinations, names of streets, and when they should turn. If these signs were not present, drivers would need to depend on various landmarks.

What Do Different Road Signs Mean?

Though most Australian road signs use internationally adopted signage like speed limits and warning signs, there are some typical road signs that you will not see in other parts of the world. For example, you will find a kangaroo crossing sign only in Australia. It is necessary for every driver to know the meaning of such special signs. If you know how to drive but are still unknown to these you can enrol on a defensive driving course Perth to become a perfectionist. There are several types of road signs used in Australia, which are discussed here.

Warning road signs

These signs are coloured in yellow or red and used to alert the drivers of possible dangers. Examples include warning for cyclists and bikes (demonstrated by the picture of a bicycle), warning for curves (shown by a curving arrow), etc.

Information road signs

As the name suggests, road signs provide the drivers and road users with general road information and are the most frequently used in Australia. If there are any truck lanes, bus lanes, lanes for cyclists, or end or start of a motorway, information road signs help the drivers be aware of them.

Mandatory road signs

These are the most vital road signs in Australia that you should never avoid. Examples include ‘Keep Right’ for passing on right only, ‘Keep Left’ for passing on left only, etc.

Priority road signs

These road signs are used to clarify which driver has the priority at the road or the junction ahead. Roundabout ahead, Give way ahead, Give way to all traffic are a few priority road signs.

Prohibitory road signs

These road signs are used on all kinds of roads in Australia to restrict specific cars, set maximum speed limits, and prohibit U-turns. If you see a road sign featuring a picture of a person with a red slash, it means no pedestrians are allowed here. Similar examples include the prohibition of buses, trucks, parking etc.