26: Traffic Signs

A symbol is defined as “a written character or mark used to represent something; a letter, figure, or sign conventionally standing for some object, process, etc.” (Traffic signs, 2007). Traffic signs today are symbols that incorporate combinations of shapes, written text, and colors. These signs, which are used for a multitude of purposes, are largely dependent on national guidelines, although international organizations, such as the Vienna Convention on Road Signs, Signals of November 8, 1968, and the 1908 International Road Congress in Rome, have attempted to standardize them across political borders. The Vienna Convention determined that traffic signs are delineated into eight categories: danger warning signs; priority signs; prohibitory or restrictive signs; mandatory signs; special regulation signs; information, facilities, or service signs; direction, position, or indication signs; and additional panels (Traffic signs, 2007).