At what distance from the location of the dangerous part of the road are these signs placed in the settlements?

Explanation

50 to 100 metres before the dangerous section of road.

All five signs in the picture belong to the warning family: a level crossing with barriers, a level crossing without barriers, a junction of equal roads, traffic lights and "other dangers". A single placement rule applies to all of them: within built-up areas, 50 to 100 metres before the hazard, and outside built-up areas, 150 to 300 metres.

The logic of these two figures is the distance needed to react. Outside town, at speeds approaching 90 km/h, the driver needs a greater distance in which to see, decide, slow down and if necessary stop. In town the speed is lower, but the density of junctions, yard exits and signs is high; a sign posted much further away loses its mental connection with the hazard and the driver forgets it before he arrives.

Keep the point to memorise as a pair: "50 to 100 inside, 150 to 300 outside". Note that these distances are for warning signs; prohibitory and priority signs are usually posted immediately before the point where they apply and are not covered by this rule.

• 15 to 25 metres is so short that at urban speed it is covered in about a second; effectively no opportunity to react remains. • 25 to 50 metres is also below what is needed for effective deceleration and falls within neither of the two standard ranges. • 100 to 150 metres is an undefined range and falls exactly between the two correct figures; for that reason it is the most deceptive option. • 150 to 300 metres is the correct answer, but for outside built-up areas; the question asks about inside a built-up area, and that very substitution is the main trap.

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