Millions of us don’t know the meaning behind these common road signs

Do you ever get that moment that you’re driving along and see a road sign that you’re supposed to know but you don’t? Don’t worry you’re not alone, according to new research, millions of licence holders have forgotten some of the basics and can’t recall the meaning behind common road signs.

The study carried out by car dealership Brindley Garages Group put British motorists’ knowledge of road signs to the test. They tested over 1,700 drivers and found staggeringly 90% of British motorists no longer know the meaning behind our road signs.

The UK is known for its overuse of road signs, and it seems our motorists just can’t get their heads around all of them, particularly our millennial generation. Drivers aged 18-24 knew the least amount of our British road signs, indicating most of this age bracket need to back to driving school! Having spent the best part of four decades on the roads, it is no surprise that the over 50’s had the highest score. When quizzed, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers scored the best proving that years bring wisdom.

When it came to the signs that had motorists baffled, the results were telling. Despite being fairly common, more than half of motorists guessed the ‘no buses permitted’ sign incorrectly, while ‘mini-roundabout ahead’ put a quarter of Brits in a spin. The ‘end of controlled parking zone’ was answered correctly by only 1 in 5.

The study conducted put the infamous north/south divide to the test. The North East performing best out of any region. However, the rest of the North wasn’t quite so well informed, with both Yorkshire and the Humber, and the North West earning penultimate and last place respectively.

The southern regions fared poorly, earning 8th, 9th and joint 11th place overall, while Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland proved their mettle, coming in near enough the top half of the final rankings. The full results of performance by region is as follows:

1. North East
2. East of England
3. West Midlands
4. Wales
5. Scotland
6. Northern Ireland
7. East Midlands
8. South East
9. Greater London
10. Yorkshire and the Humber
11. North West & South West

How do you think you’d perform? Take the test and find out how well you compare to the rest of the country!