Every now and then I run into signs that truly baffle me. Here are a couple more:
Okay, first this container of Bacos that advises you to “Refrigerate After Opening…for added freshness and convenience.” Now, it’s always been my understanding that food either needs to be refrigerated or it does not. What is this jar of Bacos telling you? DOES it need to be refrigerated? Will it be okay to eat the Bacos if they are not refrigerated? They won’t go bad, will they?
I think this label is saying that Bacos can be refrigerated, and even that they should be refrigerated, but they don’t have to be. They’ll taste better, fresher, if they ARE refrigerated. Okay, if I think about it, this part kind of makes sense.
But what’s all this about “convenience”? How is it more convenient to refrigerate the Bacos? Is there a difference in the “convenience” of refrigerated and non-refrigerated Bacos? Why do we have any kind of notation at all about convenience? Why not stop with “Refrigerate After Opening for added freshness.” Actually, it would read better as “For added freshness, refrigerate after opening.” That’s much easier to understand, I think, and more to the point. This whole bit about “convenience” is just confusing the heck out of me, muddying the waters.
Now, here’s an interesting sign, which I’m sure we have all seen:
Of course I understand what the sign is trying to warn us against. Big trucks make wide turns. Keep your distance and let the truck needs what it needs to do. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the drivers of these big rigs. I consider their skill on par with the ability to play the piano. Not everyone can do it, and even less can do it well.
But I don’t think—or at least I certainly HOPE — that no trucker drives as poorly as this sign is suggesting.
Look carefully. Doesn’t it look like the truck is making a right hand turn from the MIDDLE lane? That the truck driver has no concern whatsoever for cars in the far right lane, he’s just cutting right in front of that lane of traffic, and if you happen to be in the far right lane, then God help you when the truck in the middle lane decides to turn!
So. Does this make it okay for truck drivers to cut you off and make turns from the middle lane? No! Of course not! But this sign on the back of the truck seems to be telling you that the driver is likely to cut you off, squash your car, because he has a need to make a right turn, no matter what lane of traffic he happens to be in.
I know this sign doesn’t ACTUALLY mean that. I’m just saying…it looks that way, doesn’t it?
They have to turn from the middle lane…..that’s why they put on their right turn blinker, to notify drivers that are hopefully paying attention as they should, that they are making a right. Trucks make wide right turns so that the trailer doesn’t run over the curb or hit signs. I feel like everyone driving knows this……Everyone should also know to NEVER pass a truck on the right. Know the rules of the road or don’t drive!!
Not so fast. Care to provide a legal citation giving trucks the authority to turn right from a center lane not designated as a right-turn lane? In our state, when a driver gives a right turn signal from the center lane, that’s a sign that “I want to change lanes,” not “I want to turn right from the center lane.”
The sign seems to be warning drivers not to approach on the right-hand side, because the truck might turn right from the center lane, but responsibility for safety is 100% on the shoulders of the truck driver, to make sure it’s safe before making that turn.
This is like those trucks that have the signs that say “Not responsible for damage caused by items falling from this vehicle” and “STAY BACK. Do not drive closer than 300 feet behind this vehicle. Not responsible for damages.” I have to laugh at these. They think because they put up a sign saying they’re not responsible, that somehow relieves them of liability.
One day, I’m going to attach a sign to front of my car that says “Not responsible for damage caused by this vehicle.” That way, if I should somehow smash through some shop-owner’s plate glass window, and he comes out screaming, “I’ll sue!” I can just point to that sign and say, “Not responsible.”
And surely, that’s hyperbole, when you say “They have to turn from the middle lane.” No, they don’t. I’ve never seen a truck turn right from the middle lane, unless the middle lane is designated as a right-turn lane. I’m not saying a trucker’s never done it. But clearly, they don’t have to.
Now I’ll grant you, many times, I’ve seen trucks turn from the right hand lane, and have to veer into the middle lane to make the turn, but even in those cases, it’s the truck driver’s responsibility to make sure that lane is clear, before veering in. It’s not every other driver’s responsibility to clear the roads, as this sign seems to be implying.
As far as cars passing trucks on the right, that’s a different discussion, but if a truck is in the center lane and starts slowing down (for whatever reason), that car in the right hand lane isn’t “passing”, he’s just driving at the speed of all other traffic in the right-hand lane, as is his right.