I adore traffic signs, for the grand majority of time, as I do get a certain thrill and sense of safety in knowing road conditions and what the local street rules are. Unfortunately, I have come across a sign that causes me nothing but consternation, confusion and grief.
SLOW
I am greatly confused when I see this sign. I have many questions without answers, such as:
At what speed should I then proceed? Five miles slower, ten, twenty, should I get out and crawl?
What hazard or condition has necessitated this sign? Are there potholes, stray farm animals, slow-moving trucks, hidden driveways, etc., etc., etc.? The possibilities are truly endless.
What is the repercussion of me not going at some undetermined lesser speed? Will I fall off the road? Is my car in danger of damage?
I feel nothing but overwhelming confusion, so much so that I have an insatiable urge to stop the car, get out and approach the sign, standing directly in front of it in the hopes that its meaning may become clear to me if I am close enough to study it. Maybe proximity would allow me to understand the sign and the why of why it exists and was specifically placed in its exact spot.
I mean, there must be a reason, right?
But the reason I know not.
Confusion is uncomfortable like picking at a loose thread of your favorite jacket and pulling and pulling and only making it worse in hopes of finding an answer.
It is like standing at the dock, in a storm and waiting for the storm to pass or your ship to arrive, but you don't know which.
Confusion is painful. I wish it would stop. I wish the Neurotypical world could make sense to me or at least put more thought into its actions and sign placement.
I will obey traffic signs that I can understand. I mean, isn't that the whole purpose behind them is to allow driver's to drive with less confusion and uncertainty?
I think my only recourse will be to stop and take photos or make notes of these ridiculous signs and write the local road commissions for explanations. I think that would be the only way out of this quandary. Maybe with the answer to one or two signs, I could gain some insight as to what they mean in general and when I run across them at different locations.
I really dislike the feeling of confusion.
