What Is "slow" An Acronym Of?

[Neenee]

Hi Attended a speed awareness course today and the trainer said the word SLOW as a warning sign or painted on the road is an acronym... does anyone know what it is, as i cant remember?

[Neenee]

thankyou, i will add like the previous thread, the reason they are painted on the road was also explained to us,, . All roads are built to a high standard and classed as safe, and until there is a near fatality or serious incident/accidents then these signs are applied by local authorities to warn us....and to keep us safe in the future.. hence the word SLOW... Speed Low Observe Warning.

[stuey]

I can envision a group of people armed to the teeth with sharp pencils, Post-It-Notes, bulging binders, laptops whirring, sitting around during a meaningful brain-storming session and finally pronouncing this rubbish. The word is "slow", it has existed for ages, and it means, well...slow.

[slaney]

I think it is possibly a road safety backronym....
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym
...which may or may not have been invented by the Automobile Association.

As yet I can't find it on any official government site including this one where it just says "associated with a hazard"

https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@travel/documents/digitalasset/dg_192269.pdf

[THECORBYLOON]

I doubt that Speed Low etc is the origin of SLOW since it should be Reduce Speed to begin with and I think it is only a helpful reminder to folk, nothing more than that.

If there is a hazard ahead, why would the word SLOW not mean just that?

[woofgang]

scenario: driver driving along without a care in the world. Sees the word "slow" painted on the road. Instead of just slowing down, thinks "that means something, I know it means something what the heck does it mean?" drives on thinking furiously and.....wallop!

Sorry I think the speed awareness instructor was talking out of his...Awareness Specialist Really Emptyheaded.

[stuey]

I would imagine that to the people who concocted this "slow" is an acronym nonsense the word "stop" means "squeal tires on pavement:.

[stuey]

Sorry, dive-buddy, I did shorten the process considerably didn't I:)

[Tilly2]

Baldric, yes, I do drive.

[stuey]

It wouldn't work: I'm a righty, not a lefty:)

[Tilly2]

is it onl;y people on speed awareness courses who are taught this, I wonder?

[decmangan]

Any one can come up with an acronym surely?

[stuey]

The trouble is that some people think that an initialism is an acronym. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is commonly called the FBI: that is not an acronym. North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an acronym since the letters n, a, t, o together form a pronounceable "word: nato. FBI is not a pronounceable "word": it simply uses the initial letters of the organization.

[Neenee]

Divebuddy...its Interesting you think its boy racers and crims who were sent on such courses. the average age today out of a group of 40 were 30 to 35. Not none person was under the age of 25, the oldest being 75 and all had been driving at least 5 years. Equal amount of.men to women too who were all caught on static cameras and doing around 35mph. No one was caught in a 40 plus zone! So hardly criminals. I am a female of 42 and not sure why a simple question can be taken out of context. I today learnt a hell of a lot and for one will be a safer driver as there are things in the high way code today that didn't even exist when I did my test over 26 years ago!

[THECORBYLOON]

From the Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 5

"223 Although the marking may be used alone, it is most effective when it complements a warning sign so that drivers are told why they need to slow down. The marking may be used with advance signs giving warning of STOP and GIVE WAY but not to supplement the GIVE WAY sign itself, for which the triangle marking to diagram 1023 is prescribed."

As it says it can be used alone, there will be times when there is no warning sign to be observed so it is NOT used as an acronym

[Neenee]

AHA.. divebuddy, yes all in good humour, of course and your right this thread has been reduced to jokey remarks!! lol as i said a simple question.... google must be redhot with us all trying to find examples of who is right and who is wrong!