These Are Some Of The Weirdest & Most Unusual Road Signs From Around The World

Road signs are, in general, designed to be easy to understand. Drivers pass by them at speed and might only have a second or two to read and interpret them, so they need to convey information succinctly. Most fulfill that role well, but there are some exceptions to the rule. Across the U.S., a handful of particularly confusing traffic signs convey complex traffic information or use language that might not be easy to understand at first glance. Then, there are some that are just plain weird.

The U.S. isn't alone in having some weird and wonderful traffic signs, though. Elsewhere in the world, you'll find signs that warn drivers about unusual hazards, explain seemingly obvious things, or aim to keep you awake on boring drives. From Australia to the U.K., you're almost guaranteed to find a few strange-looking signs on local roads. These five especially weird signs are some of our favorites.

Driving on a long stretch of featureless road can be dangerous, and there are several reasons why. Drivers can get distracted by other tasks or devices like their phones, or they can simply get bored, which can cause them to lose focus on driving.

They can also be subject to highway hypnosis, which is where they can drive for significant periods without being able to recollect their drive afterward. Adding to the dangers, long-distance highway drives can also cause drivers to become fatigued without noticing, which, in severe cases, can lead to them falling asleep at the wheel.

The Australian state of Queensland has some especially long stretches of monotonous highway, and so to try and keep drivers awake and alert, authorities have installed road signs with trivia questions in some areas. These trivia questions are posted on boards that are attached to the sign with a padlock, and so can be taken down and swapped out. That way, regular drivers of that road see different questions periodically.

Speaking to the Guardian, one local trucker called the signs the "roadside version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'," adding that staying safe on the road was worth far more than the cash prize on the famous game show. As a bonus, the signs can also help prompt driver curiosity about the local area and its flora and fauna, with trivia questions including "What is the coldest town in Queensland?" and "When is rabbit breeding season?"

Road signs convey information to drivers, but too many can be confusing. Being bombarded with roadside information is nothing new to drivers in the U.K. — in fact, there are so many unnecessary road signs around the country that the government set up a task force to remove them in 2015.

Part of the problem is that some U.K. road signs warn drivers about things that should be obvious. One of the silliest examples is the sign that warns drivers that the "sign is not in use." Confusingly, the sign it's referring to isn't the one you read the message on. Instead, it refers to a nearby variable message sign.

Variable message signs can also be found near roads in other parts of the world, including the U.S., and they're there to communicate written messages to drivers that can include things like temporary speed limits or hazardous road conditions. If one of those signs is blank, most drivers would reasonably assume that there's either no relevant information to display at the time or the sign simply isn't working. Either way, they can pay it no attention.

For some reason, British authorities decided drivers needed a sign telling them a nearby variable message sign isn't in use, drawing attention to two signs with no meaningful information on either. It's arguably pointless, but it nonetheless still features in the U.K. traffic manual more than after the sign-removing task force was set up.

Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is famed for its red crab population, and every year, those crabs migrate to the sea in order to breed. That leaves residents of the island with the tricky task of avoiding them all while they're making their way to the coast. Some roads on the island are shut down by local authorities during the peak of the migration, as there are simply too many crabs crossing for any vehicle to get through safely.

Other roads might not be closed altogether, but still demand extra caution from drivers during the crabs' breeding season. To remind drivers to be extra careful, the island produces unique road signs with large depictions of the famous animals. Some signs are paired with written messages telling drivers to slow down while they're passing through the area, so that they can safely drive around a crossing crab if they see one.

American drivers heading north across the border should keep in mind that there are a handful of common U.S. driving habits that might result in a ticket in Canada. It's also worth knowing that road signs there can look very different, although exactly which ones drivers can expect to see varies depending on the Canadian province they're driving through. Quebec's road signs look particularly different, since most of the written messages on the signs are in French rather than English.

Adding to the confusion, there are a few signs in Quebec that look downright weird. Perhaps the strangest is the sign that warns drivers that wind has pushed snow drifts onto the road. It depicts a face blowing wind onto a road (shown by arrows dispersing in different directions), with snowflakes surrounding it. 

According to Quebec's road sign directory, the sign should be up when snow drifts significantly reduce visibility and continue along that stretch of road for at least 1 kilometer. The sign is sometimes accompanied by a written message telling drivers how many kilometers they can expect the conditions to continue for. It's just one of many confusing pieces of street furniture tourists in Quebec will have to contend with, and even traffic lights look different between provinces.

It isn't just crabs on Christmas Island that get their own road signs during their breeding season. In the U.K., toads can also receive similar treatment. In rural parts of the country where high numbers of toads are likely to be crossing roads to reach ponds and lakes in order to breed, road signs are sometimes put up to encourage drivers to slow down for them. In some cases, road closures are also enforced during breeding season to ensure that they can cross safely.

Unlike Christmas Island, where crabs are highly respected residents, British drivers generally aren't as careful when it comes to avoiding frogs and toads. According to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, around 20 tonnes (22 tons) of toads are killed on the country's roads each year. Road closures to help toads aren't common in the U.K. either, with the first closure happening in Oxton, Nottinghamshire in 1999. It doesn't help that toads tend to make their crossings at dusk, when visibility is reduced. Road signs are therefore an easy way to remind drivers to be vigilant of the local wildlife, even if it isn't always easy to see.