Signs can guide us, and signs can explain things to us, but sometimes, signs can also confuse us. There are more than 40 million signs on the roads of the United States, and some of them can give people headaches as they try to figure them out.
Bored Panda has collected the most hilarious and absurd examples of confusing signs for you in one place. A sign that says, "Turn right," but includes an arrow pointing to the left? Check! Six different plates telling you where and when you can park? Double check! Scroll down and see what road sign nonsense people sometimes have to deal with.
#1 Absolute Unit Of A Parking Sign In Los Angeles
Image credits: cheeezus_crust
#2 Found On The Road To Big Bend National Park
Image credits: byrdman_99
#3 My Town Put Up A Work Zone Speed Limit Sign Thats Faster Than That Roads Speed Limit
Image credits: lacinated
People have to pass tests to become drivers for a reason: one part is to learn what different road signs mean. Interestingly, even after passing their exams, many drivers still have trouble deducing what one or another traffic sign means. If you've ever been in a situation where a road sign confused you, you're not alone. According to a survey conducted by My Vision, 58% have had trouble driving because of bad signage.
When researchers asked people to identify particular signs, the majority had trouble with the "Road construction" sign. 13% of the respondents confused it with the railroad crossing sign, 4% thought it was a sign for slow-moving vehicles, and 4% identified it as a no-passing sign. Other tricky signs included the narrow bridge ahead, divided highway ending, and the railroad after turn signs.
#4 Major Turning Point
Image credits: marianoreal/
#5 Look Out
Image credits: Interesting Signs
#6 This School's Speed Limit Times
Image credits: TJPancaker
You might want to blame drivers for not learning their road signs when they were supposed to. But there might be another explanation for people's confusion with road signs: American road signs are just so different from the rest of the world! Signs like "Can't stop here" and signs denoting the speed limit look almost identical or similar in most countries, whether it's Austria, Japan, India, or Mauritius.
But in America, they're totally different. Why is that? Well, the U.S. refused to adhere to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. The government tried to implement European road signage, and experiments were set up on several U.S. highways. However, Americans saw the strange signage as an infringement on American exceptionalism. One citizen even said: "If I saw a Russian sign, I certainly wouldn't pay any attention to it."
#7 Put The Road Signs Down, Boss
Image credits: TheOriginalJunglist
#8 This No Parking Sign In My Hometown
Image credits: wheresthecorn
#9 Road Sign In Cape May Seems To Be As Confused As I Am
Image credits: MAJORtheYORKIE
Another reason why the U.S. refused to sign the Vienna treaty was that they were in the process of building the interstate highway system. The changes they would have to make to adhere to the treaty and change the road signs probably would've been a logistical nightmare.
But, at the end of the day, America has a pretty long history of cars and driving. Even if the first car was invented in Germany by Carl Benz in 1866, for Americans, the inventor of the American car has always been Henry Ford in 1908. Since then, Americans have proudly been an automotive people, taking pride in their cars, roads, and even signs.
#10 So Just To Be Clear Stop Or No?
Image credits: Crystal Clark
#11 I Understand Completely
Image credits: capeleb
#12 Which Way Do I Turn
Image credits: Lmanwell23
Yet, Americans aren't the only ones who find road signs confusing. A similar survey by UK company Tempcover Insurance showed that Brits are just as bad at recognizing some road signs as Americans are. For example, 83% failed to deduce what the "No Vehicle" sign meant, and a whopping 73% also didn't know what the blue and red "Can't stop here" sign was for. Other traffic signs that Brits had trouble with were "No Overtaking," signs giving vehicles from the opposite direction priority, and the "End of Dual Carriageway" sign.
#13 Road To Nowhere
Image credits: thewaypoint
#14 Speed Limit Sign In Santa Fe, Nm
Image credits: desertpiper
#15 The Nexus Of The Universe
Image credits: MTL Memes
What about you, Pandas? How good are you at recognizing traffic signs? I personally had a doozy during my first visit to the States, when I accidentally drove into the wrong side of the traffic. And, in some weird twist of fate, a sheriff turned up right in front of me.
Have you ever had similar traffic stories? Share them with us in the comments! And if you'd like to see more funny and confusing road signs, check out our previous compilation right here!
#16 Programmed The Sign, Boss
Image credits: loki2002
#17 I Was A Little Worried For What Was Up Ahead Since It’s Only A Two Lane Road Lmao
Image credits: Miningminicam
#18 I Think This Sign Was Made For This Sub
Image credits: slithertooth
#19 Even As A Native, I've Accidentally Ended Up Across That Bridge
Image credits: Richard Sullivan Photography
#20 Right Turn Only
Image credits: DarkArc077
#21 This 5-Way Stop Sign
Image credits: joelsopp
#22 A Street Sign Telling You To Ignore Gps
Image credits: cmattei
#23 Do Not Read Under Penalty Of Law
Image credits: Bill
#24 The Sign Of Signs
Image credits: reddit.com
#25 All Roads Lead To Kottayam
Image credits: reddit.com
#26 New Road Signs
Image credits: missouriankid
#27 When Street Signs Go Philosophical
Image credits: MP_Innovation
#28 Confusing Road Signs
Image credits: CloakedOlive
#29 A Sign From Above
Image credits: ggwash
#30 Confusing Sign On Connecticut Avenue
Image credits: TalkingDC
#31 I Feel This Is The Most Confusing Traffic Sign I’ve Seen Around Perth, So Much To Take In, So Little Time! What’s Your Nomination?
Image credits: Cpl_Hicks76
#32 The Most Confusing Collection Of Traffic Signs I've Ever Seen. Just Outside NJ
Image credits: SBi
#33 There's Some Irony In A Camouflaged Sign Complaining That You're Hard To See. You Can't Read This From The Road At All
Image credits: Ichabod_
#34 Water Traffic Over Hazard Road Ahead
Image credits: rjayh
#35 This Road Sign Near My Home
Image credits: wheresthecorn
#36 Beware Of The Cow
Image credits: Tony Bowden
#37 No Traffic Signs
Image credits: reddit.com
#38 Was Told This Sub Would Enjoy An Odd Numbered Speed Limit Sign At My Job
Image credits: CockMcClain
#39 Meanwhile In Alabama
Image credits: Nanergoat22
#40 Can I Park Or Not?
Image credits: michealscott21
#41 Most Confusing Turn Signs Ever
Image credits: soupsfups
#42 You Are Given 0 Time To Interpret This Sign And All Of Its Arrows
Image credits: Tm23246
#43 Confusing Street Signs
Image credits: Streetwise Cycle
#44 Odd Road Sign Meaning?
Image credits: Madison2Play
#45 This Sign Contains No Information That A Road User Would Find Useful
Image credits: Hefy_jefy
#46 Roadwork Sign In Louisiana
Image credits: YouDownWithBSC80
#47 Seen In My Neighborhood
Image credits: nerdy_hippie
#48 Elba Island Road Sign
Image credits: sarahlaurence
#49 Having A Brain Aneurysm Reading This Sign. Can Someone Help?
Image credits: S0nofaL1ch
#50 What Road Sign Is This?
Image credits: Unhappy_Upstairs_660
#51 UK's Waffliest Street Sign
Image credits: Gumbledorus
#52 Traveling In Italy. What Do These Signs Mean?
Image credits: thsvnlwn
#53 Saw This “We Are Working Out Of Sight So You May Not See Us” Sign Near A Closed Lane. What Would They Be Working On?
Image credits: alexlmlo
#54 Finally Found A Parking Sign Im Confused By
Image credits: Altruistic-Ear8031
#55 Why Do They Make These Signs So Confusing?
Image credits: Pretend_Halo_Army
#56 Most Confusing Sign
Located on 99N. Is it just me or do you find this sign unhelpful and confusing? Funny there is no reference to 50W.
Image credits: ExJiraServant
#57 Not Through Road
Image credits: dtulip
#58 Confusing Signs
Image credits: Jennaval1
#59 Why Are The Arrows On Th Left Sign Not Aligned To The Lane? I Can Definitely See Why People Would Get Confused
Image credits: ColdSnapSP
#60 I Always Have A Chuckle To Myself Whenever I Pass This Sign. How Far Is It After 10pm?
Image credits: reddit.com
#61 No Pets In The Pet Walk Area?
Image credits: MrAttorney
#62 Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan: Home Of The Infamous Japanese Road Signs With Russian/Cyrillic
Image credits: dottoysm
#63 Why Are There So Many Numbers When Only 8 And 139 Seem To Matter?
Image credits: Dottiedayglow
#64 What Does This Mean? (USA)
Image credits: Vosharap
#65 Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Image credits: LeftRightShoot
#66 Trying To Leave The Parking Lot
Image credits: RandomAnimal925
#67 Anyone Else Get Confused By This Sign On 195 E
Image credits: DriveRVA
#68 Is This Sign Confusing Or Clear?
Image credits: pdarigan
#69 This Road Floods Each Tide
Image credits: I-STATE-FACTS
