50 Of The Scariest Signs Spotted Around The World You’d Probably Want To Be As Far Away As Possible From
When you think about it, the goal of a sign is pretty basic, isn’t it? We put them up to give us directions, send messages, and warn us about dangers lurking around the corner. But while sometimes they hilariously fail to fulfill their purpose by looking like the most random and absurd announcements ever created, others seem to carry a somewhat threatening aura.
We’re talking about signs that remind us the world is filled with unforeseen hazards that make us want to stop and quickly run the other way. So let us introduce you to the 'Scary Signs' subreddit. This online community with over 379K members has set out on a mission to share pictures of terrifying messages from all over the world "that you don't want to be near".
Some of them are scarier than the danger itself, others are so creepy we can’t help but wonder why they got put up there in the first place. Whatever the case may be, these warnings definitely catch one's attention. Bored Panda has collected some of the most frightening posts from the group, so continue scrolling to check them out for yourself, and let us know what you think about them in the comments!
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Scary-Sad, But Comforting To Know You Can Be Safe
That's not a scary sign I "don't want to be near" - that's a fantastic sign that we're all glad to see
Sign A The Vet
Oh...ok I Understand
Since its creation in 2014, the 'Scary Signs' subreddit has amassed more than 379K members who are eager to share the daunting messages they come across in every corner of the world. Nearly every post consists of terrifying or confusing signs that warn us of potential hazards up ahead and uneasy consequences we will face if we refuse to obey.
While we're used to seeing safety signs and not batting an eye, people on this online community prove that some of them have a slightly threatening nature that everyone should take notice of. After all, most of us are hoping to avoid falling into "the drowning machine", getting attacked by aggressive geese, or encountering a venomous snake that's missing from its exhibit.
Save The Bees
More Than Sad Scary, But Still
Beware Of Falling Deer
Yet, there seem to be many factors that can make people disregard even the most frightening messages. Maybe you're an adrenaline junkie looking for new adventures every chance you get. Perhaps you think the sign is scarier than the danger itself. I mean, it's better to be safe than sorry, but who really wants to be told to watch out for falling deer? How often does that really happen?
Marc Green, Ph.D., is a human factor expert who has extensive experience in perception, attention, human factors, and related areas. According to him, warning signs often fail to change people's behavior. They can either go unnoticed or, more often than not, they are seen but ignored by the viewer. "For many years, designers focused their concern on sensory aspects of warnings: color, shape, location, pictures vs. text, size and so on. However, recent research suggests that effective warning design depends as much on the contents of the viewer's head as on the contents of the warning's message," he explained.
Trailhead In Tennessee
Well, this is a great sign. I have encountered a few similar sign in Australia, and I find them rather helpful.
Don’t Do Meth
You see, when people stumble upon alarming messages, they then have to make a decision whether or not to comply. But let's not forget that people who are the intended audience of these signs are not blank slates. They rather start with a thought process containing three components: "First, the viewer has general knowledge about the world and how it works. Second, s/he has a set of beliefs and expectations based on experience with the same or similar environment, product or technology."
"Lastly, the viewer enters the situation with a goal and strategy for achieving that goal," Green continued. "The goal can be specific ('I want to arrive at my destination as soon as possible') or more diffuse ('I want to feel good about myself')." So to create an effective warning sign, the designer must understand what the observer "brings to the table".
Percy Preist Lake In Nashville, Tn
See? They drowned even if they wore lifejackets! Why should people wear masks/seatbelts/get vaccinated/wear protective gear/etc when you can still die!? /sarcasm, if that was not obvious
Scary Geese
As viewers, we’re aware that safety signs are placed there for our own benefit. Their purpose is to draw our attention to important information that might prevent us from doing harm to ourselves or the people around us. Unfortunately, sometimes they are less likely to be effective when they are placed in the wrong area or use vague messaging. This could lead to tragic accidents, so it’s always best to make sure the sign will be crystal clear to virtually anyone.
A Disease Which Has No Cure
Something About This Unsettles Me
Straight To The Point, Don't Become Soup
However, even when signs are compelling and tick every box on the list, we humans have a tendency to overlook them. Green explained that when a warning tells us to refrain from behavior that would enable us to quickly achieve our goal, we then make a cost-benefit analysis. "In some cases, the viewer might lose the goal altogether ('No Smoking' signs), or exert more effort ('Detour' signs)," he mentioned some examples of the cost.
When it comes to benefits, they can be practical (like injury avoidance), and psychological. "A driver deciding whether to comply with a speed limit sign might calculate the costs of arriving later," he added. But one benefit of compliance is feeling safe and less anxious, like thinking "I won't be as likely to get in an accident," or "I won't have to spend time and effort looking for a radar trap." Other psychological advantages could be the sense of being "a good citizen" or "a team player," Green argued.
19th Century Japanese Tsunami Warnings. This One Reads: “Remember The Calamity Of The Great Tsunamis. Do Not Build Any Homes Below This Point”
And they still built below that point. I was watching a Geographics video and most of the people who died in the 2011 tsunami were in buildings situated below the tsunami warning points.
Fight Back
Road Sign I Found In Texas
Reminds me of the time a colleague stopped for a hitchhiker. A couple of miles down the road she accidentally ran over something (squirrel I think). Hitchhiker went to have a look. While he was out of the car she decided to have a look in his bag as she felt uneasy. He had a knife and rope in there. She yeeted out of there so fast. She was traumatised for a long time afterwards. But what a lucky escape.
I would have left too, but there are plenty of reasons to have a knife and rope that don't mean you want endanger other people.
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I've seen these throughout the US around federal and state prisons. I'm not sure but I think they might be required in some states
Friend of mine (we"re from Germany) visited the US 30 years ago as a kid. When they drove through Arizona they saw a sign " please don't take hitchhikers". Made them wonder till the next sign came in view "arizona state prison". Seems they upped their signs since then to avoid confusion.
This isn't just Texas. We have similar signs near prisons in Michigan too.
Signs by the Tijuana border show people crossing the road in their bid for freedom.
Outside of Huntsville!!!! Maximum security prison is less than 2 miles from the highway. Also, if you actually drive near the prisons, you can see all the laborers outside. Good part of the town is serviced by prison labor. I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm just stating facts.
I picked up a service man while driving in N.C. in 1971.Figured he was an upstanding guy. Pulled a knife on me, told me to pull over and stop. Can't remember why, but he set the knife down on the bench seat and I grabbed it as i opened my door and threw it out. I had pulled up parking break and managed to get left leg out and on ground. Luckily passing vehicles, 2 pickup trucks, swerved over and stopped, but not b4 the guy pulled out some of my hair and raked my back with fingernails while ripping my blouse off. He saw my rescuers coming and booked out passenger door into the woods about 30 feet from the freeway. My heart still starts speeding up when I tell the story. Don't p/u hitchhikers...
There's one like this in Connecticut, but about half the inmates there are former mayors and governors.
Yeah, but are they inmates escaping from prison, or people escaping from inmates who escaped from prison? Makes you think, LOL.
So do they mean the hitch hiker is an escaping inmate OR the hitch hiker is trying to escape FROM an inmate ? these are the questions that will haunt you .....
Soooo..... the hitchhikers are escaping from the marauding inmates, or the inmates are escaping somewhere else? So many other ways that sign could have been worded using the same space. "Hitchhikers may be escaped prisoners" would have been more clear and less funny.
We here in California have a similar sign on I-5 near Atascadero prison..
Went to Texas on holiday and saw these signs. Locals were adamant against picking up hitchhikers because there were so many drifters and possible escapees.
Hmm, so does that mean hitchhickers may be running away from the escaped inmates... or...?
Hmmm... Does that mean hitchhikers are running away from the escaped inmates, or... ?
Friend of mine picked up a hitchhiker in Georgia, USA. My friend said the hair on the back of his neck stood up the minute the guy gets in his car. They talk some more. Turns out the guy just got out of prison that morning. Oh, what where you in for? Guy murdered his brother for sleeping with his wife. Now he was headed back to his hometown where his wife still lived. Friend made an excuse to drop him off as fast as he could.
These signs are very common in most states that have rural prisons. Some also have "Prison workers present. Do not stop" signs for trash pickers and mowers working along the roads.
Those are allllll over the place in Texas. Saw theses signs daily growing up.
Can we raise the speed limit through the area? I see a 5 can't be fast enough!!
Riders of the storm... If ya give this man a ride Sweet memory will die
There are some signs like this in central California, I'd never pick up a hitchhiker (anywhere), but sure gives me chills when I see those signs on road trips.
I saw this one back when I lived in Texas XD. Well, one just like it. I don't recognize the surroundings.
Then you should pick up the hitchhikers so they can get away from the inmates.
I saw that same sign many times near very large penitentiaries.....in many different states
If they're escaping inmates, shouldn't we assist them until the escapees are caught?
What? Is Texas the only state that warns travelers not to pick up hitchhikers near prisons?
Yes, but you should be safe. Other than T-Bag, those were alright dudes.
Another factor that affects how we see the size of the benefits is the perception of danger, which has two elements — hazard and risk. The viewer of the warning sign must take them into account when making the calculation. "If the person believes that there is great danger, then s/he will see a larger benefit in compliance. Conversely, perception of small danger means low benefit and compliance will decrease," he explained.
Sign At Lava Falls In Grand Canyon
You Will Die
At A Nearby Wolf Sanctuary
Lastly, our personal, social, and cultural backgrounds also affect our decision-making. Green explained that even when two people make the same cost-benefit analysis, they could go two different ways — one might ignore the sign while the other doesn't. "People accept different danger levels, have different attitudes about their ability to control danger and are differentially affected by social and cultural norms," the expert added.
So for warning signs to be persuasive, designers should focus more on the psychological factor. Sure, the bright glaring colors and terrifying symbols catch our attention and might stop us from falling into dangerous threats, but harmony between human behavior and design would reduce accidents even further.
Bronx Zoo
Just Another Day In Alaska
Just think if people closed their bins properly and didn’t litter (or encroach on bears habitats) then they wouldn’t come looking for food in houses / public spaces.
"The Drowning Machine"
I bet that somebody stupid will go in hoping to make a great TikTok video
Uh Oh. Keep Out Of The Danger Noodle Room
This Slide
Bush Fire Rating Signs All Over Australia
Yikes
Trust Me, I Won't
Nope.
The School Lockdown Song
Worst sign ever. Nothing like a funny shooters song 🙈 for the little ones. Awful.
How Fast Is It Going To Move?
This Got Dark Real Quick
Common all around the UK for a while. Now, probably prompted by research findings, we have signs written by children, with childish drawings, that say 'Twenty is Plenty'.
Crocodile Enclosure At Sydney Aquarium
You Get The Gist, Even Without A Word Of Swedish
At Least They Give You A Choice.
Not Sure If This Counts
At My Apartment Complex
Yeah I Think I’ll Pass
Apartheid-Era Sign Near Johannesburg, South Africa (1953)
I had the misfortune when I was young to have a brief conversation with a white "Rhodesian" (young man) and yes, attitudes really were that vile.
Crossing A Swing Bridge In Nz
Think This Belongs Here!
Careful When Skiing
Heart Rate Increasing
Slowly Puts Shovel Back In Trunk
Ok, Let's Just Go To The Public Pool?
Water somehow always enters my nose while swimming. I’d avoid this pool no matter what
No Worries, 3 Layers Of Glass Still Remain To Protect You From The King Of The Jungle!
Yeah but how did it break? Accidental damage or was the lion testing the fence like a Dino in Jurassic Park. If those lions are looking to escape we need to know!
Cute Cartoons Don’t Make Creepy Messages Better
“Holy Water Removed Temporarily”
Saw This Walking Through My University After Hours
Note: this post originally had 107 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Did I just waste my time? Yes. Did this traumatize me? Yes. Do I regret reading this? Absolutely not.
One I was sure I'd see: Trespassers will be Shot! Survivors will be Shot Again!
Did I just waste my time? Yes. Did this traumatize me? Yes. Do I regret reading this? Absolutely not.
One I was sure I'd see: Trespassers will be Shot! Survivors will be Shot Again!
