Drivers find road closure signs unhelpful, new poll finds

More than half of drivers (57%) believe ‘road ahead closed’ signs are ‘uninformative’ when trying to understand the details of road closures they’re approaching, a new poll has found.

The findings conclude that the common red and white ‘road ahead closed’ signs are missing key details, making them unhelpful to drivers and other road users.

Of those that find the signs uninformative, the most common reasons for confusion were that they don’t state which road is closed (60%), or how far ahead the road is closed (56%). Meanwhile, 15% don’t trust that the signage is up to date.

Amid this lack of trust in ‘road ahead closed’ signage, motorists are hedging their bets. Of those that don’t follow diversion signs, a significant proportion drive on in the hope the closed road isn’t the one that they are currently on (34%), while others prefer to drive as far as possible to take another road off before reaching the closure (25%).

Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, 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.

“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.”