UK drivers say this common road sign 'not fit for purpose'

A new RAC poll found that 57 per cent consider the signage uninformative, with 60 per cent saying the signs fail to identify which road is closed, and 56 per cent saying they do not indicate how far ahead the closure is.

Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: “Our research with drivers reveals very clearly that, as things stand, ‘road ahead closed’ signs are not fit for purpose.

"Simply stating ‘road ahead closed’ is too vague as it doesn’t give drivers enough information about the closures they’re approaching and is causing a lack of trust.

Road signs many drivers don't know

“Our findings also show that in many cases drivers aren’t taking official diversion routes, which could cause issues in terms of traffic flow and potentially lead to dangerous situations around essential maintenance works.

"Sat-navs can be useful for finding alternative routes, but they don’t get everything right and sometimes won’t pick up emergency closures.

“Drivers ought to be able to trust the signs they are supposed to follow, and it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to improve them.

"By including key information, such as which road is closed, and ideally for how long, drivers would surely have more trust in the signage and be less likely to ignore official advice.”

Of all those surveyed, 93 per cent said they wanted more information about where closures are.

Just 30 per cent of drivers said they always follow the yellow diversion signs after seeing red ‘road ahead closed’ signs, with many preferring alternative methods.

Among those who ignore the diversions, 70 per cent rely on their own local knowledge, 58 per cent are concerned the diversion might take them too far out of their way, and 52 per cent simply follow their sat-navs.

Of those who ignore the diversions, a third of drivers said they continue driving in the hope that the closed road is not the one they are on, while a quarter try to reach a turn-off before the closure.

A small proportion of drivers, some 15 per cent, expressed concerns that the signs might be out of date altogether, further eroding trust in road closure messaging.