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
No Bees, No Oranges
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.
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
I would suggest shoving cotton balls up your nose like I did when I was six, but that fix didn't work as well as I thought it would. I was a simple child...
Load More Replies...They really should have mentioned that Naegleria fowleri is colloquially known as the brain-eating amoeba.
Also, it's technically not classified as true amoeba, but a shapeshifting amoeboflagellate excavate.
Load More Replies...Yep. Brain eating amoeba. 97% lethal if an infection happens. Fortunatly, they can only enter through the nose, and infections are very very rare, only around 34 were reported between 2008 and 2017, but still not fun.
So how does the "brain eating" amoeba survive during long periods with no brains to eat? Same question applies to zombies, but there's no proof zombies exist (yet)...
Load More Replies...Yup. You can pour it in an open wound, squirt it in your eye or straight up drink the water and you won't get infected with it....though I wouldn't recommend doing any of those anyway.
Load More Replies...This is why I always plug my nose underwater. Those are in most fresh water lakes.
Someone caught this at a white water rapids park the same day I had been there. I was terrified for awhile.
You can also be a victim if you use a Neti pot with infected water (which has happened.) That's why they tell you to use only distilled water. Regular water with this amoeba is perfectly safe to swallow, just not up your nose where it can migrate to your brain.
It causes death by "eating" your brain. The organism attacks brain tissue and kills I think 97% of the people it infects. Funnily enough drinking the water is totally fine, it's only an issue if it goes up your nose.
Load More Replies...Actually yes - it can only get it through your nasal passages, and then move on to your brain.
Load More Replies...This is the brain-eating amoeba (a particularly horrific form of meningitis) and there's no cure. Not a way anyone wants to die.
I saw that one on YouTube. It's a series of hot springs in New Zealand.
It causes Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a truly dreadful infestation with an over 90% mortality rate.
Yes, this is an unfortunate occurrence in the Summer in Southern USA swimming holes with muddy bottoms.
I told you not to drink any of that water.....hello are you listening? Oh, you're dead...serves you right for not paying attention to the nice sign
If you drink it, it won't hurt you. If it gets into your sinuses, it can end up infecting your brain.
Load More Replies...Ok my being a hypochondriac worrying that ima get this in the bath cus i breath in water. Will that happen to me??????? Pls don’t dislike I’m genuinely freaked by this
Its quite common in geothermal pools. We were always taught not to put our faces under
I've been swimming in a stagnant pond for 20 years we've all been fine. It's probably why none of my friends or I ever get sick
Or maybe it entered, didn't find anything to eat, and left again?
Load More Replies...Yeah. N. fowleri is the so-called brain-eating amoeba. For some reason, if it gets to your smell receptors there's a small chance that it will follow them to your brain and destroy it. While it's not common, the amoeba thrives in warm water (or feverish bodies) and almost 100% fatal by the time symptoms are diagnosable. Cases are very rare, but I think I remember some kid jumping into a creek or something a while back and just. Dying. There's a good Kurzgesagt video on it.
Load More Replies...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!