Curious About Road Signs

PODCAST 118: CURIOUS ABOUT ROAD SIGNS
RELEASE DATE:  JANUARY 3RD, 2021

CURIOUS KID PODCAST THEME MUSIC

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR LISTENERS!  ARE YOU READY FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF CURIOSITY?

O:  I AM, LET’S GET CURIOUS!

D:  2020 WAS CERTAINLY AN INTERESTING YEAR.  WE WANT TO WISH ALL OF YOU AN AMAZING 2021, AND WE HOPE THIS YEAR BECOMES YOUR BEST YEAR YET.  LET’S SEE WHAT WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT FOR OUR FIRST EPISODE OF THE NEW YEAR.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB, MY NAME IS SAWYER AND I AM FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OLD AND LIVE IN SEATTLE.  I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD BROTHER NAMED OLIVER.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT FIGHTING (I THINK IT IS BAD BUT WANT TO KNOW WHY), I AM CURIOUS ABOUT SIGNS ON THE ROAD AND TRAIN SIGNS, I AM CURIOUS ABOUT COMPUTERS, AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT LAST NAMES.  MY BROTHER AND I HAVE HYPHENATED LAST NAMES BUT SOME PEOPLE DON’T.  I LIKE YOUR PODCAST.  MY FAVORITE EPISODE IS CURIOUS ABOUT TOILETS.  I LIKE TO LISTEN TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST WHEN I AM RIDING IN THE CAR.  IT KEEPS ME FROM GETTING BORED AND I LEARN A LOT.  THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING MY IDEAS FOR EPISODES.”

O:  THANK YOU SO MUCH, SAWYER AND OLIVER, FOR YOUR GREAT SUGGESTIONS.

D:  YOU HAVE LOTS OF OUTSTANDING TOPICS TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT.  WE JUST GOT CURIOUS ABOUT COMPUTERS LAST MONTH IN EPISODE 116, SO GIVE IT A LISTEN.  

O:  WE ALSO AGREE THAT FIGHTING IS NOT GOOD.

D:  THAT’S TRUE.  IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO USE WORDS THAN FISTS.  AND IF USING WORDS DOESN’T WORK, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO FIGHT WITH YOU, FIND A TRUSTY GROWN UP FOR HELP.  OLIVIA, WHAT ARE WE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WEEK?

O:  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT ROAD SIGNS FOR SAWYER AND OLIVER.  I CAN’T WAIT!

D:  ROAD SIGNS ARE PRETTY INTERESTING AND THERE IS A LOT TO LEARN.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT WAS THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE FIRST SPEED LIMIT SIGNS?

D:  SPEED LIMIT SIGNS WERE INTRODUCED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 160 YEARS AGO IN 1861.  WHAT DO YOU THINK THE SPEED LIMIT WAS ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1861 IN THE U.K.?  OKAY, LET’S START BY LEARNING SOME ROAD SIGN HISTORY.

O:  THE EARLIEST ROAD SIGNS WERE STONE COLUMNS MADE BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE.  

D:  THE PURPOSE OF THE STONE COLUMNS WAS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW CLOSE THEY WERE TO ROME.  

O:  THE FIRST MODERN ROAD SIGNS WERE ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR BICYCLE RIDERS.

D:  THAT WAS BACK IN THE LATE 1870’S.  IN ADDITION TO GIVING DISTANCE AND DIRECTION TO LANDMARKS, THERE WERE SIGNS THAT WARNED OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS AHEAD, LIKE A CLIFF, TO MAKE SURE THAT BIKE RIDERS STAY SAFE.  

O:  ROAD SIGNS FOR CARS STARTED IN EUROPE IN THE EARLY 1900’S.

D:  AND IN THE UNITED STATES, THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (OR TRIPLE-A), STARTED INSTALLING WOODEN ROAD SIGNS IN 1906.  

O:  A BIG PROBLEM WITH THESE SIGNS WAS THAT THEY WERE HARD TO SEE IN THE DARK.

D:  THAT’S WHY, IN 1945, THEY STARTED MAKING MOST ROAD SIGNS FROM ALUMINUM, MAKING THEM EASIER TO SEE AT NIGHT-TIME.  

O:  WHY DO ROAD SIGNS HAVE THE SHAPES AND COLORS THAT THEY DO?

D:  OKAY, LET’S DISCUSS THAT, BUT BEFORE WE DO, HERE’S A WARNING.  PEOPLE HAVE LISTENED TO OUR PODCAST FROM 151 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.  MANY COUNTRIES HAVE SIMILAR RULES FOR THE COLORS AND SHAPES OF THEIR ROAD SIGNS, BUT IT’S POSSIBLE THAT YOU MAY FIND A SIGN THAT DOESN’T FOLLOW THESE RULES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LISTENING TO US FROM OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.  IF YOU HAVE A UNIQUE ROAD SIGN TO SHARE WITH US, PLEASE SEND A PHOTO OF THE SIGN TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM.  WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS SOME UNIQUE ROAD SIGNS SHORTLY, BUT FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE COMMON ROAD SIGN COLORS AND SHAPES.

O:  THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE ROAD SIGN IS THE STOP SIGN.  IT IS RED AND IT’S AN OCTAGON, AND IT SAYS “STOP” IN WHITE LETTERS.

D:  STOP SIGNS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.  THEY ARE RED, JUST LIKE THE COLOR RED ON A TRAFFIC LIGHT TELLS YOU TO STOP.  THEY ARE ALSO THE ONLY ROAD SIGNS THAT ARE PERMITTED TO USE THE OCTAGON SHAPE IN THE UNITED STATES.  ALMOST EVERY COUNTRY USES A RED OCTAGON AS A STOP SIGN, BUT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS.  

O:  IN JAPAN, STOP SIGNS ARE INVERTED TRIANGLES.

D:  THAT’S ONE INTERESTING EXCEPTION.  IT IS STILL RED THOUGH.    

O:  IN NEPAL, THE STOP SIGN IS A RED OCTAGON, BUT IT HAS NO WORDS ON IT.

D:  THAT’S ANOTHER INTERESTING ONE.  THAT SHOWS YOU HOW RECOGNIZABLE THE RED OCTAGON IS… NO WORDS NECESSARY.  OTHER COUNTRIES, LIKE ISRAEL AND PAKISTAN, HAVE A RED OCTAGON WITH A WHITE HAND TO TELL DRIVERS TO STOP. 

O:  WHITE ROAD SIGNS ARE REGULATORY SIGNS.

D:  REGULATORY SIGNS INCLUDE SPEED LIMIT SIGNS, NO TURN ON RED SIGNS, AND NO PARKING ANYTIME SIGNS.

O:  YELLOW SIGNS ARE CAUTION SIGNS.

D:  CAUTION SIGNS INCLUDE SIGNS THAT SAY “SLOW” OR “DEAD END”.

O:  GREEN ROAD SIGNS GIVE GUIDANCE TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO.

D:  AN EXAMPLE OF A GREEN ROAD SIGN IS EXIT SIGNS YOU FIND ON THE HIGHWAY.  

O:  ORANGE ROAD SIGNS ARE FOR WARNINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO TELL YOU ABOUT CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS.
D:  BLUE ROAD SIGNS DIRECT YOU TO DIFFERENT PLACES LIKE GAS STATIONS, RESTAURANTS, AND HOSPITALS. 

O:  BROWN ROAD SIGNS DIRECT YOU TO TOURIST DESTINATIONS, CAMPSITES, OR MUSEUMS.

D:  THE SHAPES OF ROAD SIGNS ALSO SERVE A PURPOSE.  WE ALREADY DISCUSSED OCTAGONS FOR STOP SIGNS.  INVERTED TRIANGLES MEAN YIELD, WHICH TELLS THE DRIVER TO PREPARE TO STOP AND CHECK FOR ONCOMING VEHICLES.

O:  ROUND ROAD SIGNS ARE FOR RAILROAD SIGNS.  IF YOU SEE A ROUND SIGN, YOU ARE PROBABLY APPROACHING A RAILROAD CROSSING, SO BE CAREFUL.  

D:  PENTAGON ROAD SIGNS ARE FOR SCHOOL CROSSINGS, AND  VERTICAL RECTANGLES ARE FOR REGULATORY SIGNS, INCLUDING SPEED LIMITS.  

O:  LET’S LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE INTERESTING ROAD SIGNS YOU CAN FIND AROUND THE WORLD.

D:  MANY OF THESE UNIQUE ROAD SIGNS ARE CROSSING SIGNS.  THEY ARE THERE TO TELL YOU THAT AN ANIMAL (OR SOMETHING ELSE), MIGHT SUDDENLY CROSS THE ROAD IN FRONT OF YOU.

O:  WHERE WE LIVE, WE HAVE LOTS OF DEER CROSSING SIGNS TO WARN US THAT A DEER MIGHT GALLOP ACROSS THE ROAD.  

D:  YOU CAN FIND LLAMA CROSSING SIGNS IN BOLIVIA AND OTHER SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES.

O:  IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, YOU CAN FIND A HEDGEHOG CROSSING ROAD SIGN.  

D:  IN GREENLAND, THERE ARE SLED CROSSING SIGNS TO ALERT YOU THAT YOU MAY SEE SOME DOGSLEDS ON THE ROAD.

O:  IN AUSTRALIA, YOU WILL FIND KANGAROO WARNING SIGNS.  

D:  AND IN ISRAEL, YOU CAN FIND CAMEL CROSSING SIGNS.  

O:  THERE IS A ROAD SIGN IN HAWAII THAT SAYS “BEWARE OF INVISIBLE COWS”.  (LAUGHTER)

D:  LET ME READ THE FULL SIGN… IT SAYS “BEWARE OF INVISIBLE COWS.  MOST OF THE MAUNA KEA ACCESS ROAD BELOW HALE POHAKU IS OPEN CATTLE RANGE, AND THE COWS FREQUENTLY CROSS THE ROAD.  DARK COLORED COWS ARE OFTEN INVISIBLE IN DARKNESS AND/OR FOG.  USE EXTREME CAUTION AND DRIVE VERY SLOWLY IN THIS OPEN RANGE”.  

O:  THAT’S A RELIEF… THE COWS AREN’T ACTUALLY INVISIBLE.

D:  THANK GOODNESS.  HOW ABOUT THIS ONE FOR AN INTERESTING ROAD SIGN.  THERE IS A TOWN ON THE WESTERN END OF MARYLAND NAMED “ACCIDENT”.  THAT’S NOT A JOKE… LOOK IT UP.  WHEN YOU ENTER ACCIDENT, THERE IS ACTUALLY A SIGN THAT SAYS “WELCOME TO ACCIDENT”.  ONE RECENT COUNT ESTIMATES THAT ABOUT 325 PEOPLE LIVE IN ACCIDENT, MARYLAND. 

O:  IF YOU HAVE A FUN ROAD SIGN TO SHOW US, SEND US AN E-MAIL.

D:  THERE ARE SO MANY UNIQUE, FUN, AND STRANGE ROAD SIGNS.    IF YOU HAVE ONE TO SHOW US, SEND AN E-MAIL TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM.  WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, DON’T FORGET TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT.  OKAY, IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  THE FIRST SPEED LIMIT SIGNS WERE INSTALLED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1861.  WHAT WAS THE SPEED LIMIT?

O:  THE SPEED LIMIT WAS JUST 10 MILES PER HOUR.

D:  THAT’S 16 KILOMETERS PER HOUR FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ABROAD.  AS FOR THE OTHER EXTREME, THE HIGHEST SPEED LIMIT IN THE WORLD TODAY IS 160 KILOMETERS, OR 99 MILES PER HOUR.  THAT SPEED LIMIT CAN BE FOUND ON TWO ROADS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 

BEFORE WE GO, I JUST WANTED TO READ YOU A RECENT REVIEW WE RECEIVED.  IT SAYS “ENJOYABLE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS!!!  AFTER SEEING THIS PODCAST MENTIONED IN THE WEEK JR., WE DECIDED TO TRY IT OUT.  IT HAS ABSOLUTELY CHANGED THE TIME WE SPEND IN THE CAR!  THE ENTIRE FAMILY ENJOYS LISTENING TO OLIVIA AND HER DAD EXPLAIN, IN A SIMPLE, YET INFORMATIVE WAY, MANY THINGS SHE IS WONDERING ABOUT!  THANK YOU GUYS FOR MAKING THIS PODCAST!!!”

O:  THAT’S AN AWESOME REVIEW.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

D:  THAT REVIEW CAME FROM USERNAME EASY-YOGA.  BY THE WAY, YOGA IS NOT EASY, AT LEAST NOT FOR ME.  I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY BEFORE I TRIED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT I WAS VERY WRONG.  A BIG THANK YOU TO EASY-YOGA FOR LEAVING US A REVIEW.  IF YOU LOVE THE PODCAST, THERE IS NOTHING, I MEAN ZERO THINGS, YOU COULD DO TO HELP THE PODCAST MORE THAN LEAVE US A REVIEW.  IT MAKES IT SO MUCH EASIER FOR OTHER LISTENERS TO DISCOVER US.  YOU CAN LEAVE A REVIEW FOR US ON APPLE PODCASTS.  IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO US.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  118 - ROAD SIGNS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SAWYER AND OLIVER, FOR THE FANTASTIC SUGGESTION.  IT SURE WAS FUN LEARNING MORE ABOUT ROAD SIGNS.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS FOR A LISTENER IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.