New Signs Will Alert Drivers to Intersections Where They Really Do Need to Stop
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MAIN image via depositphotos.com
Newly designed stop signs set to appear nationwide will tell motorists when they seriously need to stop, Dumb Runner has learned, as opposed to merely slowing down or ignoring the sign altogether.
The signs, which follow the traditional red octagonal design, add the phrase “(FOR REAL)” under the word “STOP”; according to a statement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), they will appear at certain high-risk intersections across the country starting next month.
“With pedestrian deaths at record highs, it was clear that drastic action was called for,” the statement read. “After 18 months of careful study and deliberation, we decided it was time for a new, more serious STOP sign.”
Traditional one-word STOP signs will remain in place at most crossings and intersections, the statement noted, stressing that the new STOP (FOR REAL) signs will be used at locations designated as especially dangerous, such as those near schools or involving blind corners.
“We’re confident that these new, no-nonsense signs will keep vulnerable road users safer,” FHWA spokesperson Stanley Kirk Burrell told Dumb Runner by phone from his car. “Just one look at this bold design will tell motorists that they need to stop—like, stop for real, not that rolling-past-the-sign thing that they normally do.”
He paused to laugh.
“Ha!” he said. “See? I just did it myself.”
Asked whether the new STOP (FOR REAL) design might inspire changes in other traffic signage, Burrell said the FHWA is “looking at lots of other stuff.”
“One thing we’re testing is a red traffic light that’s, like, really red,” he said. “You know, the kind of red light you really shouldn’t ignore.”
