History Main / RulesOfTheRoad

[[folder:TruthInTelevision]]
* RealLife example: [[http://replay.web.archive.org/20081023211322/http://www.roadfan.com/dtclev.html#dm Dead Man's Curve]], on I-90 in Cleveland, Ohio. Several large signs showing a sharp 90-degree-turn arrow, and signs all but screaming for you to slow down to 35...leading up to one of the sharpest curves on an Interstate highway.
* There are also signs in RealLife that warn of speed bumps. They often simply read BUMP, or sometimes HUMP AHEAD.

* ''RedDwarf'' has some fun with these. Rimmer quizzes Kryten on these while trying to get him certified for piloting a shuttle. Keep in mind this is taking place a few months shy of three million years away from Earth..

* "Alligator Alley" (State Road 84 in Florida) has several signs warning drivers to WATCH FOR ALLIGATORS. and brother, you'd better damned well be watching for alligators. The road is four lanes with little to no shoulder that cross through the middle of the Everglades, and alligators can regularly be found sunning themselves in the middle of the road. As alligators are a ''endangered species'', hitting one with your car ''is a Federal offense''.
[[/folder]]

* The cover of a paperback collection of ''ComicStrip/BC'' strips famously featured a [[http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100308665/dip-in-road-johnny-hart-paperback-cover-art.jpg "Dip in Road" sign]]. Sure enough...

* "Alligator Alley" (State Road 84 in Florida) has several signs warning drivers to WATCH FOR ALLIGATORS. The road is four lanes with little to no shoulder that cross through the middle of the Everglades, and alligators can regularly be found sunning themselves in the middle of the road. As alligators are a ''federally protected endangered species'', hitting one with your car is ''not'' a good thing.

** Let's hope nobody [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean finds an alternate interpretation for HUMP AHEAD.]]
** I know of a less sexual, [[{{Half-Life}} but more nasty, interpretation]]...
** Here in Northern Virginia, we have "Caution: Speed Humps Ahead". For when you are late for work, but can't quite resist the urge.

* One of the ''FreakyStories'' shorts involves an incredibly picky police officer, who expects everyone to follow traffic laws EXACTLY. Naturally, once he acquires a Speed Gun, he begins pulling people over for even going 1 Km/h faster/slower than the posted speed limit.

* In the opening credits of ''IMWeasel'', Weasel's driving a convertible with a hot blonde. But he passes a road sign that reads "LOGO". He leaps out of the car in the direction the sign indicates, and jumps into the logo for the show.

* ''Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'' has a series of signs of upcoming curves, each increasingly twisty and ridiculous. Followed by falling rocks.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* In ''Gokujou {{Parodius}}'' (''Ultimate Parodius''), the highway-esque stage features plenty of yellow caution signs, mostly to indicate how the enemies are going to move. At one point, there is a caution sign for falling rocks, followed by falling rocks. Then there is a caution sign for moose, followed by falling moose. Then there is a caution sign with an exclamation point, followed by falling exclamation points...
* Subverted in the ''SamAndMax'' episodes. They remark the "One way" sign outside their office is the "least obeyed street sign in the country".
* The next-to-final dungeon in Persona4 has "Shadow Crossing" signs strewn all over it, and you had better believe there are a ton of them.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* The WebOriginal ThereSheIs by [=SamBakZa=] has a No Cat and Bunny romance road sign. This is enforced by prejudicial cats and bunnies all over the city.
* [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenamontanus/sets/72157594323393196/ This link.]]
* [[http://fc57.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/175/0/0/Pyramid_Head_X_ing_by_GlobalWolf.jpg Pyramid Head frequents this street.]]

* In the opening credits of ''I.M.Weasel'', Weasel's driving a convertible with a hot blonde. But he passes a road sign that reads "LOGO". He leaps out of the car in the direction the sign indicates, and jumps into the logo for the show.

* Wile E. Coyote would frequently attempt to utilize these in his pursuit of the Road Runner. Unfortunately for him, Road Runners can't read.
* One of the ''Freaky Stories'' shorts involves an incredibly picky police officer, who expects everyone to follow traffic laws EXACTLY. Naturally, once he acquires a Speed Gun, he begins pulling people over for even going 1 Km/h faster/slower than the posted speed limit.
* ''Rocko's Modern Life'' did this with "Cheese Crossing" and "Slow Children Playing" signs.

[[folder:Literature]]
* Invoked in the short story "Absolute Limits", in which frustrated government scientists note that everyone on the highway always breaks the speed limit--so they have the speed limit on that stretch [[FasterThanLightTravel set to the speed of light]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTelevision]]
* ''RedDwarf'' has some fun with these. Rimmer quizzes Kryten on these while trying to get him certified for piloting a shuttle. Keep in mind this is taking place a few months shy of three million years away from Earth..
* The 'Tank Crossing' sign below was shown once in an episode of ''HomeImprovement''. For some reason, it was on the tank's road and not the cart path it crossed.
[[/folder]]

* Approaching Denver from the west on I-70 are [[http://www.geocities.com/mapguygk07/Misc/Truckers/index.htm several signs]] warning about the steep grades and sharp curves. They all have huge letters and start with "DON'T BE FOOLED" and "TRUCKERS, YOU ARE NOT DOWN YET."

In a rare aversion people who are either GenreSavvy or extremely horror-movie tier violent will disregard or kill the TooDumbToLive people who are enforcing idiotically vandalised signs.

''In fiction, and especially in animation, road signs mean '''''exactly''''' what they say.''

* RealLife example: [[http://www.roadfan.com/dtclev.html#dm Dead Man's Curve]], on I-90 in Cleveland, Ohio. Several large signs showing a sharp 90-degree-turn arrow, and signs all but screaming for you to slow down to 35...leading up to one of the sharpest curves on an Interstate highway.

* ''TheMuppetMovie'' has a map that says that there's a fork in the road. Sure, the road branches into two, but there's also a GIANT fork in the road!
** That's a REAL landmark.

'''Fozzie:''' Yessir, turn left at the fork in the road. Turn left!\\

-->Kermit: Turn left here at a fork in the road.
-->Fozzie: Fork in the road
-->[they literally turn at a giant fork in the road]
-->Kermit: I don't believe that.

* In the obligatory ''WackyRaces''-styled episode of ''TheWuzzles'', one of Crock's myriad (backfiring) attempts to cheat involves doctoring an ordinary "Go 55 MPH" sign to read "Go ''At Least 1''55 MPH". The good guys see the sign and dutifully obey it, but when Crock and his goons try to follow, a traffic cop gives them a ticket for ''not'' obeying the speed limit.

** Also, polar bear crossings. [[http://www.miljostatus.no/PageFiles/Polaromr%C3%A5dene/Arktis/Dyr%20og%20planter/isbjornskilt.jpg ''Applies to all Svalbard'']]

** Also, polar bear crossings. [[http://www.miljostatus.no/PageFiles/Polaromr%C3%A5dene/Arktis/Dyr%20og%20planter/isbjornskilt.jpg \"Applies to all Svalbard\"]]

** Also, polar bear crossings. [[http://www.miljostatus.no/PageFiles/Polaromr%C3%A5dene/Arktis/Dyr%20og%20planter/isbjornskilt.jpg "Applies to all Svalbard"]]

<<|ComedyTropes|>>)

Often a version of a VisualPun.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Polar_bear_crossing.jpg
[[caption-width:280:"Applies to all Svalbard"]]