Reassurance marker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A reassurance marker (also called a reassurance shield or confirming shield) is a form of guide sign that indicates the current route, typically posted at the side of a numbered highway. They are intended to reassure drivers that they are traveling on the correct road, or inform them that they are in fact on the wrong road, hence the name. Such markers are most commonly found in the United States and Canada, where they usually take the form of a shield with the road number posted on it, with a plate above or below it indicating compass direction. Roads in many other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, have similar marker setups, but usually without the direction sign. On larger roads, reassurance markers are sometimes posted on a sign that is elevated on a gantry.
[edit] Usage
[edit] United States
In the United States, reassurance shields are defined in Section 2D-31 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The MUTCD recommends placing of reassurance assemblies in the following places:
- 25 to 200 feet (7.6 to 60 meters) after intersections of numbered highways
- Between intersections in urban areas as needed
- After leaving the limits of any incorporated city or town
- Periodically in other places for reassurance purposes
The MUTCD standard requires a cardinal directional sign to be posted with the route shield to further reassure travelers that they are traveling the correct direction on their route. However, this standard is not always followed, especially in urban areas.
[edit] Other nations
Other nations forgo reassurance markers for other forms of identification. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, for example, the current route is indicated on every sign at motorway junctions, underneath or beside which are forward destinations and an arrow pointing ahead.
 This sign reassures travelers that they are traveling on a Business Loop of Interstate 90 in Austin, Minnesota. |
 |
This road-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
