 |
You can see a mobile with traffic signs above you. On one side of each sign you can see a familiar, Finnish sign and on the other a similar sign from a foreign country. |
Starting from childhood, traffic signs guide us. We should know how to interpret them even before we learn to read. Learning how to move independently in traffic is a significant phase in life.
At its best a traffic sign can be understood anywhere in the world. Its message gets across quickly and almost in an instinctive manner. A traffic sign should always have just one possible interpretation.
Traffic signs are designed to be as clear as possible. Their shapes and colours follow certain rules that have been set together. The colours and contrasts chosen should be compatible with the traits of the human eye and with different circumstances.
Culture and nationality have an impact on the colours, shapes and symbols of traffic signs. The kinds of vehicles that are available, the local climate and the animals of the area are represented in traffic signs. It also makes a difference whether traffic is right-handed or left-handed. Traffic signs change slowly: old symbols can remind us of trains, cars or motorcycles of the past.
Updated 8.1.2007/KT
