Warnings about Warnings

Rumble strips warn you about something – right? Rumble strips are supposed to make you look around, see what it is, wake you up at the moment when it might be important. Rumble strips are there to deliver a simple message - beware!

You are just coming towards a pedestrian crossing! You are approaching a roundabout! This is where the 20 mph zone starts! Cyclists cross here!

So when you get a warning that there is a warning ahead, is this good or bad. Or does it just make more money for the vendors of street signs.

I can hear the street furniture vendor talking to the road safety committee of my local authority: “You should be aware that we sometimes get complaints when we fit rumble strips. The best way to minimize the risk from this is to warn people that there are rumble strips ahead. Other authorities we work for tell us that if they fit the rumble strip warning sign then at least when they get a complaint, they can say that the plaintiff was warned. Unfortunately, that will add another £2700 to your costs, but that is a small price to pay to prevent you being sued”

“I thought something awful was happening to the car, so I braked hard. I was concerned that I might otherwise loose control. I didn’t notice there was a juggernaut just behind me. The juggernaut driver was very understanding, but he still wrote my car off.”

Maybe, sir, you were too busy trying to work out what the “Rumble Strips 200m” sign might mean, or why there might be rumble strips ahead anyway.