Stop. Do not enter. No U turn. Street closed. Wrong way. Deer crossing.

There are plenty of street signs that litter our roadways and tell motorists what to do, or not do. This is probably the only kind of reading we should be doing while driving a car.

My great-grandmother lived to be 103. And she drove a car up until the last decade or so of her life. She only stopped when my grandfather (her son) took away her car keys after she told him a story. That was how she stopped the car and got out to read a street sign with her failing vision. The issue was that the street sign was on a major five-lane highway in downtown Atlanta.

Thankfully for those with better vision, street signs are specifically made to be read from far away and at high speeds. There’s a specific font (appropriately called Highway Gothic) that’s used on all US roadway signage. The font was designed specifically for this purpose during the 1940s.

Because it’s difficult to read while speeding down the road, the government has designed to be read without actually reading the words. The size and shape of each sign is a shorthand for understanding what each sign means.

Street signs are green and rectangular. Warning signs are yellow and square. Construction signs are always orange. And regulatory signs, including the octagonal Stop sign, are usually red. Drivers can subconsciously read and understand these signs without even realizing it.