Comparison of MUTCD-influenced traffic signs explained

Road signs used by countries in the Americas are significantly influenced by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), first released in 1935, reflecting the influence of the United States throughout the region. Other non-American countries using road signs similar to the MUTCD include Australia, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Thailand. They, along with the US Virgin Islands, are also the only countries listed here which drive on the left—with the exception of Liberia and the Philippines (though partial), both of which drive on the right.

There are also a number of American signatories to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, and Suriname. Of those, only Chile, Cuba, and French Guiana have ratified the treaty.

Mandatory action signs in the Americas tend to be influenced by both systems. Nearly all countries in the Americas use yellow diamond warning signs. Recognizing the differences in standards across Europe and the Americas, the Vienna convention considers these types of signs an acceptable alternative to the triangular warning sign.^[1] However, UN compliant signs must make use of more pictograms in contrast to more text based US variants. Indeed, most American nations make use of more symbols than allowed in the US MUTCD.

Unlike in Europe, considerable variation within road sign designs can exist within nations, especially in multilingual areas.

Differences between MUTCD-influenced traffic signs

The main differences between traffic signs influenced by the MUTCD relate to:

• Graphic design and symbological details
• The use of square-bordered or circular regulatory signs
• Local languages (signs may be bilingual or trilingual)
  • Most notable is the text on stop signs. Unlike in Europe, the text on stop signs in the Americas varies depending on language, and may be multilingual.

Languages

Below is a table of the main languages used. (In non-English speaking countries, English is frequently included on signs near airports and tourist areas.)

						Canada
	Argentina	Australia	Brazil	Brunei	Cambodia	Anglophone Canada	Quebec	Chile	China	Colombia	Ecuador	Indonesia	Ireland	Jamaica	Japan	Liberia	Malaysia	Mexico	New Zealand	Panama	Peru	Philippines	Singapore	South Korea	Taiwan	Thailand	United States	Uruguay	Vietnam
Drives on the…	Right	Left	Right	Left	Right								Left			Right	Left	Right	Left	Right			Left	Right		Left	Right
Primary language	Spanish	English	Portuguese	Brunei Malay	Khmer	English	French	Spanish	Chinese	Spanish	Spanish	Indonesian	Irish and English^[2]	English	Japanese	English	Malay	Spanish	English	Spanish		English	English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese	Korean	Chinese	Thai	English	Spanish	Vietnamese
Secondary language(s)					English	French Alongside English in New Brunswick and other Francophone regions,^[3] as well as on federally administered land. Indigenous languages On Indian reserves and some majority-Native-inhabited lands.	Indigenous languages On Indian reserves and some majority-Native-inhabited lands. English Rare; used in Anglophone regions e.g. Montreal West and Nunavik.		English			Indigenous languages Rare; used on guide signs around popular tourist areas. English On guide signs around popular tourist areas.			English Especially on guide signs.				Māori Used for bilingual place names, as defined by the New Zealand Geographic Board.^[4]			Filipino	English		English	English	Indigenous languages On some native reservations. Spanish In Puerto Rico.
Typical typeface(s)	FHWA (modified)	FHWA	Clearview, formerly FHWA	DIN 1451 (modified)	Helvetica (English)	Clearview, FHWA (varies by province)	FHWA, Clearview (different fonts specified for different signs)	Ruta CL, formerly FHWA	FHWA, Helvetica (English)	FHWA (modified)	FHWA (modified)	Clearview, formerly FHWA	Transport	FHWA	Hiragino (Japanese) & Vialog (English), formerly Helvetica (English)	Clearview, formerly FHWA	LLM (for expressways) & Transport (for federal & state highways), formerly FHWA	Tipografía México, formerly FHWA	FHWA	Helvetica	FHWA (modified)	Clearview, formerly FHWA (still used on expressway sections)	DIN 1451 (modified)	Panno, formerly Helvetica (English)	FHWA, Arial (English)	FHWA (English)	FHWA, Clearview (varies by state)	Helvetica	DIN 1451 (modified)

Differences in units

• All countries, with the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom, use the metric system. Some countries mark this fact by using units on various signs.
  • Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and parts of Canada (British Columbia, parts of Ontario, and Yukon) list units (km/h) on their maximum speed limit.
  • In Canada and Ireland, this is a reflection of a (somewhat) recent transition from imperial to metric, which first took effect in Canada, starting on 1 April 1971, but its speed limit conversion didn't take full effect until September 1977.^[5] Meanwhile, in Ireland, its recent speed limit transition from miles per hour to kilometres per hour didn't take effect until 20 January 2005, although distance road signs had already been labelled in metric since the 1970s.^[6]
  • The US territory of Puerto Rico uses a mixspeed limits are in mph but distance signs are marked in km.
  • Advisory speed limit signs in most countries list units, although New Zealand does not. The US lists units in mph.
  • Height, weight, and width restrictions are almost always accompanied by units (tonnes or metres); in the US, the short ton is used with no distinction from metric tonnes.
  • Signs in some parts of Canada and Mexico near the US border often include both metric and Imperial units, to remind US drivers that they are entering metric countries. In Canada, these signs display the imperial speed limit using a Canadian-style sign, rather than an MUTCD-standard used in the US.^[7] No such equivalent exists in the US.
• The US was, at one time, planning a transition to the metric system. The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 started the process, but it was halted in 1982. The MUTCD has guidelines for posting metric versions of speed limit signs on roads.
• The SI standard unit of speed, meter per second, is not used on road signs anywhere in the world. All countries that use the metric system measure speeds in kilometers per hour.

Color differences

Warning signs

• Nearly all MUTCD-influenced warning signs are diamond-shaped and yellow; some warning signs may be fluorescent yellow-green to draw extra attention. There are a few exceptions to this:
  • Pentagonal signs are used in school zones in the United States, Liberia, Mexico, Malaysia and many areas in Canada. In Japan and the Philippines, pentagonal signs are permanently used for pedestrian crossings.
  • Argentina employs European-style red-bordered triangular warning signs in certain instances where extra attention is required. The Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam uses this style for most warning signs, though some highways like the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway and the Manila–Cavite Expressway use MUTCD-style yellow diamond-shaped warning signs.
• Warning signs may be text-only.

Road works and construction

• Most countries use orange diamond-shaped signs for construction zones. Australia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and sometimes Canada instead use rectangular signs that fit into temporary casings. Warnings for construction zones, however, are not marked at all in Japan and are always yellow.
• In the USA, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines the temporary Road Closed sign is instead always a rectangular sign that can either be used as a standalone or fit into a temporary casing.

Regulatory signs

• Prohibitory and restrictive signs are classified as regulatory signs, as per the MUTCD.
• Almost all prohibitory signs use a red circle with a slash. Restrictive signs typically use a red circle, as in Europe. Some may be seated on a rectangular white background.
  • The original MUTCD prohibitory and restrictive signs were text-only (i.e. NO LEFT TURN).^[8] Some of these signs continue to be used in the US.
• The No Entry / Do Not Enter sign may or may not feature text. In some Latin American countries, an upwards-pointing arrow contained within a slashed red circle is used instead. Some countries have those two signs separated.
  • The Latin American-style 'do not proceed straight' sign may take a different meaning in countries with standard No Entry / Do Not Enter signs. Typically, it indicates an intersection where traffic cannot continue straight ahead (often involving a one-way street to be exact), but where cross-traffic may enter the street from the right (or left). Thus, it is distinguished from a No Entry / Do Not Enter (for all vehicles) sign.

Mandatory or permitted-action signs

• The design of mandatory signs varies widely, since the MUTCD does not specify their use.^[9] Rather, the MUTCD's equivalent are classified as regulatory signs.
  • Some countries use simple arrows with the text "ONLY" or its equivalent underneath. This is the MUTCD standard.
  • Some countries use European-style white-on-blue circular signs. These are "Type A Mandatory Signs" as prescribed by the Vienna Convention.
  • Some Latin American countries (and formerly Thailand) use red-bordered circular signs, in the same style as regulatory signs. These are "Type B Mandatory Signs" as prescribed by the Vienna Convention. In cases relating to particular types of vehicle traffic (e.g. buses), these signs are identical to some European prohibitory signs.^[10]
  • Canada uses a unique style of mandatory sign that features a green circle.

Highway and wayfinding signs

• Most countries use white-on-green signs on highways and to indicate location, etc.
  • The exact style of these signs varies widely, although many are influenced by the MUTCD standard.
  • Chile, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand use both white-on-green and white-on-blue guide signs, as does the Northwest Territories and Ontario in Canada. Parts of Australia use yellow-on-blue guide signs for certain road classes.
  • Malaysia uses both black-on-yellow and white-on-green guide signs.
  • White-on-blue signs are sometimes used at airports and for rest areas.
  • White-on-brown signs are sometimes used to indicate park areas.

Gallery of guide signs

Table of traffic signs comparison

Other (indication)

See also

• Comparison of European road signs
• Comparison of traffic signs in English-speaking territories
• Glossary of road transport terms
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
• Traffic sign
• Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals

Notes and References

1. Web site: Part I: Convention on Road Signs and Signals – Annex 3 . United Nations . 83.
2. http://www.dttas.ie/sites/default/files/publications/roads/english/traffic-signs-manual-2010/traffic-signs-manual-2010-chapter-1-introduction-and-sign-location.pdf Ireland Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport – Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 1
3. Web site: Ontario Ministry of Transportation – Bilingual Signing Policy . 2014-04-17 . 2014-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140602200540/http://www.cdn.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/signs/bilingual-signs.shtml . dead .
4. http://nzta.govt.nz/resources/motsam/part-1/docs/motsam-1-section-07.pdf New Zealand Ministry of Transport – Manual of Traffic Signs and Markings, Sec. 7.7
5. Web site: Metric usage and metrication in other countries . https://web.archive.org/web/20100724200113/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/internat.htm . July 24, 2010 . U.S. Metric Association.
6. Road Traffic (Speed Limit - Traffic Signs) Regulations 2005. 2005. si. 10. 12 January 2005. Martin Cullen. 24 April 2022.
7. https://www.atstraffic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MoST_PM.pdf British Columbia Manual of Standard Traffic Signs & Pavement Markings
8. https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/ghawkins/MUTCD-History.htm MUTCD History
9. https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009/mutcd2009edition.pdf Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2009 Edition
10. Compare Bicycles Only (Ciclovia) sign in Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Uruguay: with No Bicycles sign in Continental Europe:
11. In the US, "roundabout" and "traffic circle" are used interchangeably, along with "rotary". See Roundabout terminology.
12. No distinction between controlled and uncontrolled railroad crossings is made.
13. There are no operating tram or streetcar systems in this jurisdiction.
14. Only used in the Cuenca Tramway, see this photo. The design of a tram road sign is the same as in Spain.
15. Used in California only. Shared grade tram or streetcar crossings are typically unsigned in other jurisdictions.
16. Text varies.
17. Not in use for road vehicles.
18. Web site: August 18, 2018 . Image by draperc . April 21, 2019 . Mapillary.
19. Off-road tracks only.
20. Temporary use only.
21. Temporary use only.
22. Web site: September 10, 2017 . Image by mkanyala . April 21, 2019 . Mapillary.
23. Web site: February 25, 2019 . Image by draperc . April 21, 2019 . Mapillary.
24. Used only in California.
25. Web site: Joseph . Dan B. . April 14, 2016 . Image by danbjoseph . April 21, 2019 . Mapillary.
26. Web site: October 11, 2018 . Image by draperc . April 21, 2019 . Mapillary.
27. Pennant signs are placed facing traffic in the passing lane, i.e. on the left side of the road for right-hand driving countries. They are used in conjunction with standard-shaped signs placed facing traffic in the travel lane, i.e. on the right side of the road.
28. Used only in New York.
29. [Roundabout#Mini-roundabouts|Mini-roundabouts]
30. In many jurisdictions, "Overtaking Permitted" is indicated solely through a change in road markings, e.g. a solid center line changing to a dashed center line. In such jurisdictions, signs in this category are only posted in locations where a change in road markings is deemed insufficient notice for drivers. This is in contrast to "No Overtaking" signs, which are almost always posted alongside changes in road markings to indicate the end of an overtaking zone.
31. The circular sign is used to indicate on-street parking, while the square-shaped sign indicates off-street parking.
32. Australia has no land borders. The sign is used when interstate borders are closed (e.g. during COVID-19 restrictions).
33. For ferry terminals and ports only.
34. This country has no land borders.