The signal of STOPwhich imposes the arrest in correspondence with the horizontal line and the granting of precedence before entering a crossroads, has a fascinating history that dates back to the early twentieth century. Initially introduced in the United States thanks to the engineer William Phelps Enopioneer of road safety, this sign did not have a uniform color and varied between white, yellow And black. Eno, in fact, was one of the first to propose the use of clear signals to regulate traffic. In 1925 it was decided to adopt the red For the stop sign, chosen for its high visibility and for its meaning of danger and arrest. In 1949, the Geneva Convention he standardized the signal, establishing that it should be not only red but also octagonal. This choice made the signal easily recognizable worldwide, contributing significantly to road safety.
The origins of the stop signal
The stop sign is something we all know, but it has not always been as it is today. At the beginning of the 20th centurythe roads were not very busy and the cars were still a rare invention, with few vehicles in circulation. For this reason, the cities used the signs of signs that were more comfortable to them. The shapes and colors and shapes of the signals could therefore be different from city to city.
In the 1900 The American engineer William Phelps Enoa pioneer of road safety, began to understand that the traffic was to be correctly regulated, with the introduction of a system of universally recognized signals. The stop sign was suggested by Eno to manage the traffic to the crossings to avoid accidents. At the beginning, the colors of the signal, and the shape, were different from the city in the city, but over the years a standardization of the road signs came.
The standardization of road signs
As traffic increases on the streets, it began to feel the need to standardize shapes and colors of road signals. The first form of standardization of road signals was in America, In the 1925thanks to the National Conference on Street and Highway Safetyduring which important road safety regulations were discussed and established.
Among the main recommendations that emerged, there was to adopt the color red For the signal of STOPchosen for its high visibility and ability to attract the attention of motorists, thus marking a fundamental step in the standardization of road signals. But it is with the Geneva Convention of 1949 who had the first international standardization of international signs.
The Geneva Convention of 1949 was an international agreement signed by many countries whose objective was, in fact, the uniformation of road signs. The aim was to make road signs understandable to anyone. For the stop signal, shape and color that we know, octagonal, red base and white letters were adopted.
Because the stop is the only octagonal signal
Form octagonal It was chosen for the ease of recognition of the signal from afar and by different angles, so as to be able to recognize it from any point you observe it. This also has an advantage in terms of signal recognitionwhich for its particular form cannot be confused with other signs of different forms, square or triangular or round also the cases of illegibility of the writing or of poor visibility. The octagonal form helps to give a sense of urgency, immediately capturing the attention of the motorist and making it react with braking.
The red and the white Instead, they were chosen because, on a psychological level, red is linked to the concept of danger and the need to stop immediately. The white of the letters, however, for the high contrast that is created with the red base. It is a color that recalls the sense of attention, caution and immediate action.
