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Road signs in Finland were formerly regulated in the Road Traffic Regulation (5.3.1982/182) (Finnish : Tieliikenneasetus), [1] but now are currently regulated in the Road Traffic Act (8.5.2020/360) (Finnish : Tieliikennelaki). [2]
Most signs are based on pictograms, except signs like the prohibition-sign for stop at customs and the sign indicating a taxi rank. If the sign includes text, the text is written in Finnish or Swedish, except the stop sign and taxi signs which are written in English (some taxi signs are written TAKSI in Finnish). Many roads and places in Finland have Finnish and Swedish names, so both are marked on the traffic signs. This is common in the Swedish-speaking areas on the southern and western coasts, whereas in the inland Swedish names are far less common. In northern Lapland there are also traffic signs in the Northern Sámi, Skolt Sámi and Inari Sámi languages.
At many unregulated intersections the practice is to yield to traffic on-coming from the right, unless there is a "yield" or "give way" sign posted for the right on-coming traffic. This can be a problem on some streets since these signs are not always visible to traffic that does not have to yield. Therefore, unless a driver is experienced with the area and its signs, they are expected to give way to the right at an intersection, even if the road they are on appears to be the priority road.
Finnish road signs depict gender-neutral people with stylized silhouettes since 2020; between 1982 and 2020, the designs were realistic, as was common in most Nordic countries at the time. Since the last legal reform, most of the pictograms and arrows are identical to their German counterparts, whereas the new diagrams for people are similar to the Danish models.
In addition, Åland, an autonomous region of Finland, has some in Swedish-style signs and all are written in the Swedish language.
Finland signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on December 16, 1969 and ratified it on April 1, 1985. [3]
Whereas European signs usually have white background on warning and prohibition signs, Finnish signs have a yellow/orange colour. This is for the purpose of enhancing the visibility of the sign during the winter, as white signs would be hard to see in the snow. Prohibition signs displaying a symbol other than a numeric value have a diagonal red line across them. Prohibition signs in Iceland and Sweden are similar in this respect. In most European countries, however, such signs do not usually include a red line.
Warning signs are triangular, but in contrast to those of most other states using triangular warning signs, Finnish signs have yellow backgrounds, rather than white.
Prohibitory signs are round with yellow backgrounds and red borders, except the no parking and no standing signs that have a blue background instead of yellow.
Mandatory signs are always round blue signs with white border.
Below, signs are withdrawn or replaced with new diagrams of the same meaning.
Road signs in Sweden are regulated in the Traffic Sign Ordinance (2007:90).
Road signs in Norway are regulated by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Statens vegvesen in conformity with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, to which Norway is a signatory.
Road signs in Italy conform to the general pattern of those used in most other European countries, with the notable exception that the background of motorway (autostrada) signs is green and those for 'normal' roads is blue. They are regulated by the Codice della Strada and by the Regolamento di Attuazione del Codice della Strada in conformity with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.
The design of road signs in Poland is regulated by Regulation of the Ministers of Infrastructure and Interior Affairs and Administration on road signs and signals. The Annex 1 to the regulation describes conditions related to usage of the road signs – size, visibility, colors and light reflections, typeface and text, criteria of choosing the type of foil to signs faces, colorful specimens and schematics.
The road signs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands — as well as Suriname are regulated in the Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens 1990, commonly abbreviated as RVV 1990. While most previous signage, from the RVV 1966 remained legal and official, they have been updated/replaced. Some aren't official anymore and have lost legal validity, but most surviving old signs remained valid.
Road signs in Greece are regulated by the Ministry of Transport and the Hellenic Traffic Police, according to the Greek Highway Code.
Road signs in the Czech Republic (Czechia) are regulated by the Ministry of Transport and the police. The signs are nearly the same as the European norm, but with small changes (e.g., the text is in Czech, some differences in colour). The law governing the road signs is Decree number 30/2001 Sb., many times amended, and replaced by decree 294/2015 Sb., in force since 1 January 2016.
Road signs in New Zealand are similar to those set by the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. While New Zealand is not a signatory to the convention, its road signs are generally close in shape and function. New Zealand uses yellow diamond-shaped signs for warnings in common with Australia, the Americas, Ireland, Japan and Thailand. Speed limit signs are a red circle with a white background and the limitation in black, and are in kilometres per hour. There are also some signs unique to New Zealand. Road signs in New Zealand are controlled by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and are prescribed in the Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004 and set out in the Traffic Control Devices (TCD) Manual.
Road signs in Ukraine are governed by a combination of standards set out by the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, the European Union (EU), and Ukraine Transport and Roads Agency. Ukrainian signs are similar to the signs of other post-Soviet states and are set out in 7 separate categories based on meaning: warning, priority, prohibitory, mandatory, information, service, and additional plates.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Therefore, road signs do not differ much from the rest of Europe, such as Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and North Macedonia. Ministry of Transportation of Bosnia and Herzegovina regulates them. Bosnia and Herzegovina drives on the right as with the rest of Europe, except for Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. Bosnian and Herzegovinan road signs have two scripts, Latin and Cyrillic script.
Road signs in France refer to all conventional signals installed on French roads and intended to ensure the safety of road users, either by informing them of the dangers and regulations relating to traffic as well as elements useful for decision-making, or by indicating to them the landmarks and equipment useful for their travel on the national territory. They generally largely follow the general European conventions concerning the use of shape and color to indicate their function. France is a signatory to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. France signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on 8 November 1968 and ratified it on 9 December 1971.
Road signs in Mongolia are similar to the Soviet and other European road sign systems. Road signs are regulated in the MNS 4597:2014 standard and conform to the general pattern of road signs as set out in the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Despite the fact that Mongolia was never part of the Soviet Union, the MNS 4597:2014 standard for road signs has many similarities with its post-Soviet counterparts based on the Soviet standard ГОСТ 10807-78 and the Russian standard ГОСТ Р 52290-2004. Mongolia acceded to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on December 19, 1997.
Road signs in Georgia are similar to the road sign system of other post-Soviet states that ensure that transport vehicles move safely and orderly, as well as to inform the participants of traffic built-in graphic icons. However, some road signs look a bit different from Soviet ones and closer to the European ones. These icons are governed by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.
Road signs in Kazakhstan are similar to the road sign system of other post-Soviet states that ensure that transport vehicles move safely and orderly, as well as to inform the participants of traffic built-in graphic icons. These icons are governed by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Road signs are regulated by the СТ РК 1125-2021 standard.
Road signs in Kyrgyzstan are similar to the road sign system of other post-Soviet states that ensure that transport vehicles move safely and orderly, as well as to inform the participants of traffic built-in graphic icons. These icons are governed by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.
Road signs in Lithuania conform to the general pattern of those used in most other European countries as set out in the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Due to the country being occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union between 1940 and 1990, when it restored its independence, modern road signs used in Lithuania are in many ways similar in design to road signs used in the Soviet Union before its dissolution in 1991.
The road signs, used on the Serbian road network, are regulated by the "Regulation of Traffic Signs", which was last time modified in 2017.
Road signs in Russia are governed by the traffic rules approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1090 of 23 October 1993 "On the Rules of the Road", Appendix 1 "Road Signs". They are regulated by the ГОСТ Р 52289-2019 and ГОСТ Р 52290-2004 standards determining the rules for the use and production of road signs. The vast majority of road signs used in Russia were in the preceding Soviet standard ГОСТ 10807-78, which was introduced in the Soviet Union on 1 January 1980 before its dissolution in 1991 and is no longer valid in Russia since 1 January 2006 after it was replaced by the modern standard ГОСТ Р 52290-2004 for road signs. Road signs generally conform to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Similar road signs are also used in other post-Soviet states.
Road signs in Belgium are defined in the Royal Decree of 1 December 1975 on general regulations for the road traffic police and in the use of public highways. They generally conform to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. The official typeface on road signs in Belgium is SNV.
Road signs in Latvia conform to the general pattern of those used in most other European countries. They are regulated in the Road Traffic Regulations as well as in the national road sign standards, in conformity with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, to which Latvia acceded on October 19, 1992.