If you’ve run out of topics to research on Google, but you still have some free time, just for grins type in “Poor signage and car accidents”. Not surprisingly, you’ll pull up pages and pages of ads for law firms across the USA, all ready to assist you in getting justice and a healthy settlement for your troubles.
Quoting Crystal from a small Texas town, who sought advice from one of these web sites, “My son had an auto accident that is supposedly his fault. The intersection has a stop sign, but you cannot tell who it's actually for (which street) because it is turned. Not only that, you can't even see it until you are in the middle of the intersection! The stop sign is placed around a corner behind trees. The officer didn't even cite my son because of this. Should I seek legal advice to hold the city/county liable for damages to my totaled car? Would I have a case? ”
This is an unsettling story, especially for the entity responsible for the signage at this particular intersection. In this case, it sounds like it was a municipality, but it just as easily could have been a neighborhood or new residential or commercial development. Instead of an impersonal city government, it could be your HOA.
The message should be clear to our readers: whether for positive reasons (neighborhood driver and pedestrian safety) or to avoid negative ones (litigation exposure), we all want our street and traffic signs to safely and effectively perform their intended function. That requires good signage system planning, proper installation and routine review and maintenance.
At Capital StreetScapes, we sell decorative street and traffic signs, along with good-looking sign post bases and finials, traffic sign frames and classic cast aluminum street sign frames that truly enhance your particular setting. We’re really proud of what we offer, but we all occasionally need to be reminded that the primary sign function (safety) must always be considered along with sign form (looks, property values enhancement, increased tourism, etc.).
We promise to lighten up next time.
