Riders urged to take care due to obscured road signs

ROAD safety groups are urging motorists to take extra care this summer as the warm, and sometimes wet weather and lack of maintenance may make road signs harder to spot.

It goes without saying that we should all be extra vigilant when riding along roads we don’t know so well, although it’d still be prudent to take a bit of extra care when out riding on more well-known routes – it could be another road user that misses a give way sign on an adjoining road for instance.

Gem Motoring Assist’s Neil Worth said:

“If you can’t see a sign, then your ability to make safe decisions is compromised, especially if you’re on unfamiliar roads. Nourished by recent rain, vegetation at this time of year tends to be at its most prolific, meaning more and more signs risk being partially or completely covered. It’s a growing menace that puts road users at risk. 

“We can help highways authorities and local councils to know where the problems are by using the reporting facilities they provide. It is vital for road safety that trees, bushes and branches are not allowed to obscure important information, and that everyone using the roads has a clear view of the speed limit and other signs.”

If you spot a sign that is badly obscured by foliage or covered in moss or other detritus, there are official channels you can take to ensure the authority in charge is aware of the issue. Road users in England and Wales can report a road signage problem through this government website. On it you can highlight broken, foliage covered and crash damaged signage, even highlighting signs that are out of date or incorrect.

Road users in Northern Ireland can use this Direct Government website. In Scotland, motorways and trunk roads are within the jurisdiction of Transport Scotland while other public roads are administered by local authorities.