'Road ahead closed' but why? Drivers are frustrated

The vast majority of drivers want more information included on signs saying “road ahead closed”, a new survey suggests.

Some 97% of motorists would be in favour of councils and their contractors adding details to the signs about the specific location of closures, the poll of 1,672 UK drivers commissioned by the RAC indicated.

More than half (57%) of those surveyed agreed with the statement that the red and white signs are “uninformative”.

The most common reasons given include the signs not stating which road is closed or how far ahead the closure starts. Some respondents said they do not trust that the signs are up to date.

Only 30% of drivers say they follow yellow diversion signs after seeing a road ahead closed sign, the survey indicated. Of those who do not, some 34% say they drive on in the hope the closed road is not the one they are currently on.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Our research with drivers reveals very clearly that, as things stand, road ahead closed signs are not fit for purpose. Simply stating ‘road ahead closed’ is too vague as it doesn’t give drivers enough information about the closures they’re approaching, and is causing a lack of trust. Our findings also show that in many cases drivers aren’t taking official diversion routes, which could cause issues in terms of traffic flow and potentially lead to dangerous situations around essential maintenance works.

“Drivers ought to be able to trust the signs they are supposed to follow, and it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to improve them. By including key information, such as which road is closed, and ideally for how long, drivers would surely have more trust in the signage and be less likely to ignore official advice.” The RAC commissioned research company Online95 to conduct the survey in August 2025.