Road signs in Germany follow the design of that set out in the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.

Traffic signs, road markings, installations, and symbols used in Germany are prescribed by the Road Traffic Regulation (StVO, German: Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung) and the Traffic Signs Catalog (VzKat, German: Verkehrszeichenkatalog).[1][2][3]

Regulation

§§ 39 to 43 of the StVO regulate the effect of traffic signs and installations. Annexes 1 to 3 illustrate most warning, regulatory, and directional signs and annex 4 illustrates the traffic installations. Other traffic signs and installations not specified in the StVO, primarily specific supplementary signs, are published in the VzKat.[1]

The latest version of the VzKat was issued in May 2017 as the annex to the General Administrative Rules for the Road Traffic Regulation (VwV-StVO, German: Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschrift zur Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung).[4]

The StVO, the VwV-StVO and the VzKat are supported by technical rules, mostly published by the Road and Transportation Research Association (FGSV), especially:

Each sign has an assigned number. The suffix number after the hyphen refers to the variation of the sign; the suffix on signs with variable numbers is the number depicted on the sign (for speed limits, maximum heights, etc.).[2]

The used typeface is the DIN 1451 font.

History

The first set of unified road signs in Germany was introduced in 1927 in the Weimar Republic with the Verordnung über Warnungstafeln für den Kraftfahrzeugverkehr. It consisted of only 6 warning signs.

In 1934, this regulation was replaced with the Imperial Road Traffic Regulation (German: Reichs-Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung), which was acccompanied by an administrative ordinance (German: Ausführungsanweisung zur Reichs-Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung) with a set of 37 road signs.

The Imperial Road Traffic Regulation was replaced in 1938 with a regulation called "Regulation about the behavior in Road Traffic" (German: Verordnung über das Verhalten im Straßenverkehr), abbreviated "Road Traffic Regulation" (German: Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung). This regulation was amended a few times until the occupation of Germany in 1945.

The StVO of 1938 remained in force until 1971 in West Germany (with major amendmendts in 1953[16] and 1956[17]) and until 1956 in East Germany.

Germany signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signal in 1968,[18] together with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. The adoption of the provisions of both conventions led to the development of a new StVO which entered into force in 1971 in West Germany.[19]

The first sign with symbols of the current design is Sign 325 (residential street), which has been introduced in 1980.[20] In 1992 this design has been applied to all road signs of the StVO.[21]

General symbols

Danger signs

Regulatory signs

Directional signs

Road equipment

Additional signs

Obsolete signs

Obsolete signs since 2017

[22]

Obsolete signs since 2013

[22]

Historic signs

These signs were in use until 1992.

Warning signs

Regulatory signs

Information signs

Notes

  1. More specifically, multi-track motor vehicles.
  2. More specifically, motor vehicles with a permissible mass above 3.5 t – including their trailer(s) – and tractor units, excluding passenger vehicles and buses.
  3. More specifically, passenger vehicles – or motorcycles with a sidecar – which are occupied by at least three people.
  4. One-seated two-wheeled mopeds with an electric motor which automatically regulates its design speed to no more than 25 km/h.
  5. Pursuant to the Elektrokleinstfahrzeuge-Verordnung (eKFV) (Small Electric Vehicle Act).
  6. Pursuant to the Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) (Vehicle Registration Regulation).
  7. Traffic permitted to use the hard shoulder.
  8. 15 m parking prohibition prior to and behind this sign (30 m altogether)
  9. Only parking with parking disc or parking ticket
  10. For vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to 2.8 metric tons.
  11. Used only on highways without emergency shoulder or in larger construction areas.
  12. Information only, does not imply a speed limit

References

  1. "Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO) § 39 Verkehrszeichen". Federal Ministry of Transport.
  2. "VzKat 2017" (in German). 5 July 2020.
  3. "German Road Traffic Regulations (Translation)" (PDF).
  4. "Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschrift zur Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (VwV-StVO)".
  5. "RWB 2000". www.fgsv-verlag.de (in German).
  6. "RWB 2000 - Richtlinien für die wegweisende Beschilderung außerhalb von Autobahnen". www.verkehrsblatt.de.
  7. "RWBA 2000". www.fgsv-verlag.de (in German).
  8. "RWBA - Richtlinien für die wegweisende Beschilderung auf Bundesautobahnen". www.verkehrsblatt.de.
  9. "RtB". www.fgsv-verlag.de (in German).
  10. "RUB". www.fgsv-verlag.de (in German).
  11. "RUB 2021 - Richtlinien für Umleitungsbeschilderungen (RUB)". www.verkehrsblatt.de.
  13. "RiLSA". www.fgsv-verlag.de (in German).
  14. "Guidelines for Traffic Signals" (PDF).
  15. "RSA 21". www.fgsv-verlag.de. |language=de
  16. "Verordnung zur Änderung der Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung und der Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung" (PDF).
  17. "Verordnung zur Änderung von Vorschriften des Straßenverkehrsrechts" (PDF).
  18. "Convention on Road Signs and Signals". United Nations Treaty Collection.
  19. "Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO)" (PDF).
  20. "Verordnung zur Änderung der Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung" (PDF).
  21. "Elfte Verordnung zur Änderung der Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung" (PDF).
  22. "Änderungen im Verkehrszeichenkatalog 2017 zu 1992" [Changes in traffic signs 2017 to 1992]. Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen.
  23. "§ 40 StVO 2013 – Einzelnorm". www.gesetze-im-internet.de.