Driver Location Sign at Bence Lane Bridge

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 8 Aug 2015

Driver location signs are now widely used across the motorway and A–road network. First introduced in 2003, they complement distance marker posts. Both types of marker post display the distances in kilometres from a nominal start point but driver location signs are designed to be read by motorists or their passengers when, for instance, they need to pass details to the emergency services. They give the same location information as distance marker posts, but more visibly on larger signs. They are normally spaced at 500-metre intervals along the nearside verge but if obstacles (eg sliproads or bridges) prevent signs from being erected at these locations, then the interval is reduced to either 400 or 300 metres. Driver location signs display three pieces of information: • The road identifier (eg M1 in this example) • The carriageway identifier – The letter on the second line of the signs, usually “A” or “B”, tells the emergency services or the Highways Agency in which direction you are travelling. The letter “A” ("Away from London") normally denotes carriageways leaving London and "B" ("Back to London") is used for carriageways going to London. In this example, "A" tells us that we are on the northbound carriageway, travelling away from London. • The location (which is identical to the location given on marker posts). Distances are accurate to within 20 metres and are generally quoted from the beginning of the motorway. In this example, we are 281.4 km from the start of the motorway. http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/ians/pdfs/ian93r1.pdf DFT Interim Advice Note (December 2010) http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/breakdown_advice/driver-location-signs.html The AA http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Driver_Location_Signs SABRE

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