How long did their hearts go on? A Titanic study.

In the 1960s the Worboys committee suggested that road traffic signs should be predominately symbolic, because they are clearer from a distance. Only eight countries that replied had a sign representing older people (table). The Namibian sign illustrated a generic picture of a pedestrian with the words “elderly people” below (fig 2). This avoids stereotyping, but the sign may not be as quickly or easily recognisable to the speeding motorist. The Australian sign has a caption only (fig 3). Most (24/30) signs warning of disabled people were derived from the internationally recognised pictogram of a person using a wheelchair (a seated person on a wheel; fig 4) Although many patients with disabilities do not use a wheelchair, this is an easily recognisable sign. All seven countries that had a sign representing deaf people used the internationally accepted logo of a round yellow symbol containing smaller black discs in a triangular formation (fig 5). We feel the meaning of this sign is not widely known. Sixteen countries had road signs warning motorists of blind people in the vicinity. A popular sign, particularly in the eastern bloc, illustrated a pair of “John Lennon style” glasses (fig 6). Although many blind people do not wear these glasses, this symbol is informative and probably unobjectionable. A white stick also symbolises blindness; the Bangladeshi sign portrayed a stick (fig 7). Many replies suggested that secondary inquiries had been made. However, we cannot corroborate this, and our study may be limited by the accuracy of the respondents. People should not be stigmatised on road traffic signs, but signs must be clear and easily recognisable. Perhaps an international agreement on the content and style of such road signs is needed to meet these criteria. Before new designs and standardisation are embarked on, however, research is needed to see if such signs improve the safety of these pedestrians.