When I was about 6 or 7 I used to think "Give Way" signs meant you had to get out of your car, tell someone else where you're going, and then they'd do the same and you'd each have to travel to the other person's destination. I assumed that the only reason my dad didn't do this was because it was so inconvenient.

Jim, UK

When I was little we used to drive by a Dead End sign frequently. I used to think that that was the place you take your dead animals and I could just imagine that at the end of this road there were just piles and piles of dead cats and dogs.

Eva

I used to think that the handicap symbol was just a bunch of lines. I knew that it meant handicap, but I didn't really think about what it was. It wasn't until I was 14 that it clicked, "OH! It's a man in a wheel chair!" I never told anyone about my shame.

Speedy

As a young child, I used to delight myself in the car by reading the street signs and thus proving to my mom that I was in fact the smartest little kid ever. One day, however, I came across a word I had never seen before. I stared at this foreign word for as long as possible before finally asking my mom, "Mommy, why are only pediatricians allowed to cross here?" My mom quickly realized what I meant and corrected me. In reality, the sign said "Pedestrian Crossing." But hey, give me a break. I must have been three or four.

Rachel

When my family would go on car trips I would often notice signs that said "Do Not Pass." I used believe that it was against the law to go past the sign, and that the cops were going to come arrest my father as he would pass numerous ones often at high rates of speed. I would slouch down in my seat and look around nervously waiting to be pulled over and arrested.
I didnt understand how we were never arrested until we were driving one day and I mentioned to my father my fear, that he laughed so hard he had to pull the car over and explain it to me.

Nichole

When my family used to drive to my aunt's house, there would always be this billboard with a pool that I was convinced looked like a shell. with a toothpick that had an olive stuck to it sticking out of the middle. Every time we passed it, I would scream "SHELL!!!" My parents had no idea what I was talking about and one day they took me to a Shell gas station and said "THAT IS A SHELL."

Anon

I never understood the "wrong way" signs on roads. How could they possibly know you were going the wrong way if they didn't know what your destination was?

Alex319

When I was little I found out what an electrical outlet was. SO when I was a little girls every time my mother drove by a street with a sign that said, 'No Outlet' I would cry because I felt bad that the people down that street had no electricy. 'No Outlet'

Matilda

Like some others, the "No Passing" signs were confusing to me as a kid.

I thought you weren't supposed to pass that point.

Also, the "Pass with Care" signs... I thought those meant that you had to be careful because there was something really important there. Though I never really saw anything very valuable in those spots, I figured that there had to be something there. I guess I thought that the rest of the time you could drive recklessly because there was nothing important around to hit. Good thing I no longer thought this stuff when I got my license.

Kasey, from Michigan (the state with road signs that read: "Do not pass when opposing traffic present" DUH!)

I thought railroad crossing signs were Pinnochio. On our way to a movie when I was 5 we got stuck by a train. That was when my mother decided to tell me we were going to see Pinnochio. I thought the sign was him until I was about 7 or 8. Whenever we went past that particular crossing I'd say "There's Pinnochio Mommy!!" and she wouldn't argue. Just smile and nod.

Jenn

You know those blue and white service signs that say "H" for hospital? Well, for a short time my older sister worked at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, so I thought the "H" on the road signs stood for Helen Ellis Hospital, instead of just a regular hospital!

Nikki

I used to think that a sign saying "Dead slow" meant that you had to drive fast. I thought that the sign was asking you to act as if slowness was dead or didn't exist, i.e. drive fast!

Emma

i used to believe that the yellow road sign for curves ahead was really a warning for a car with tenticles. whenever i saw that sign, always kept my eye out for that car.

Anon

When I was a kid I used to believe that those signs on the road that said "Blind Driveway" meant that the driveway was used by a blind person.

Danielle

I used to believe the "Yield" from the road sign was somebody's name.

julia

Everyday when riding the bus I would wonder how many miles we had to travel. I asked my mom to explain this to me, she said that a mile was a measure of distance. So I said ok and went on with that. Later on I thought that a mile was the distance between 2 road signs.

Michele