15 weird road signs from around the world

by Scott Carmichael on

Travel around the world, and you’ll come across plenty of weird road signs that make the signs in the US seem downright boring. From the sign you see above (from South Africa), to signs warning about prostitutes, we’ve collected some of the funniest warnings from around the globe.

Got any others you’d like to share? Drop them in the links and we’ll include them in a future lineup!No smoking – for ANYONE

Probably a prank sign, but that doens’t make it any less funny.

A warning that will probably be ignored

That is one way to warn drivers not to go under the bridge if their vehicle is too high. Still, wanna bet the occassional driver tries anyway?

French speakers, turn left, Flemish speakers, turn right

The rivalry between the Flemish and the Walloons in Belgium can be pretty rough – This detour sends the French speakers to the left and the Flemish to the right. Seems downright mean to me.

Warning: deaf cat ahead

According to some forum posters, this is a real sign – warning about a deaf cat.

Aircraft have the right of way – yeah, no s**t!

No need to tell me this – if I’m driving down a road, and a plane wants to cross in front of me, I’ll always give them the right of way.

Translation please?

I can tell that this has something to do with camels – but what do they want us to do? Hit them? Avoid them?

Warning: prostitutes ahead!

I’m not sure whether this is an informational sign directing Italians to the prostitutes, or whether it is warning people not to hit them – but I doubt we’ll be seeing this sign in the US any time soon.

Pubic service announcement

Either a very good fake, or a council working too hard to warn people about the dangers lurking in the dark forests.

Never trust your GPS!

We did a little research on this one, and it appears to warn truck drivers not to use their GPS unit in the area. Most likely due to poor maps directing truck drives down a cliff or a road that is too narrow for their vehicles.

Redundant sign department

From the totally redundant department.

Another translation required

I’m sure this sign makes perfect sense. If you can read Chinese. Sadly, I can not, so to me it just seems to warn me about throwing things out of my car, but for all I know, it could be directing me to a local pub.

The vehicular dangers of the email auto-responder

This is a classic (and one that pops up a lot) – it is a sign from the UK in English and Welsh – but the Welsh translation is actually an auto-responder from the translation expert at the council offices saying: “I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated“. Whoever sent the email got a reply back right away (of course) and assumed it was the correct translation.

Hope this is not illegal to ignore!

Presented without comment.

Farts can kill

Forest flatulence is dangerous!

Gadling Take Five: Oct. 17–Oct. 23

by Jamie Rhein on

Each time I read through posts for Gadling Take Five, I look for those that may have been missed by readers. I also look for posts that may fit together in some sort of cosmic theme. It’s often hard to choose five. While browsing the offerings this week, it seems this was a week of great ideas. This week I found a gold mine.

Here are ten great ideas:

  • When Alison was at Litquake in San Francisco she discovered The Bookmobile, a former actual Bookmobile that has been turned into an experiential gathering place for readers, if you will. If you see the Bookmobile somewhere along the Lincoln Highway this year, step inside. You might encounter a famous author driving it. The material being gathered during the Bookmobile’s journey will be turned into a documentary.
  • A good idea worth considering is reducing the number of traffic signs. Although Aaron is a swell driver, he’s given some thought to how he might be better at it if there were fewer signs to distract him. There is research to prove him right. Fewer signs have been shown to decrease accidents.
  • As world travelers, we’re often introduced to problems we wouldn’t have been otherwise. In Tibet, blindness is a problem. In Sean’s post on the Planeterra Foundation, you can read more about the organization’s wonderful idea to tackle blindness and how you might get involved.
  • Kraig, who knows a thing or two about adventure travel, highlights the reasons why hiking the Continental Divide Trail is a good idea. In the case of hiking this trail, Kraig suggests a good idea is to plan for extremes. For example, on one section there’s a lack of water. On another, you’ll be on the look out for grizzles.
  • Here are two airlines with great ideas. KLM is giving away personalized luggage tags. Scott tells you how to get them. Virgin America is considering testing out this good idea. Those without carry-ons can board first. Alison did think about how this good idea might not be so good after all.
  • If you’re on a long flight, Tom has come up with great ideas for how to be more productive. Since one of my favorite things to do on a plane is zone out, Tom’s tips are extra handy.
  • For anyone looking for where to have a destination wedding. Look no further than St. Maarten. Katie has the scoop on why having a wedding on this island is a great idea. It’s free.
  • You probably came across Annie’s post on 10 things not to forget to pack when you go on a trip. Pajamas is one of them, something I consistently forget.
  • Here’s a good idea that might be a bit weird. I found out about GoGirl, a device that helps women pee like men.
  • And here’s a shout out to Heather’s grand idea even though it’s already found great press. It’s such a great idea, I had to include it. Heather has turned Laviator into a household word. I still have yet to become a Laviator. It’s probably because of my tendency to zone out on a plane. One of these days, though–one of these days.