When I was little, I used to believe that deer could only cross the road at the deer crossing signs.

Shellie

On Australian roads (don't know about other countries), roads have a zigzag line painted for a few metres before a pedestrian crossing, so driver's are aware that it's coming up. When I first saw one, I thought the cars and other road vehicles all had to follow that line and go zigzagging along the road.

Anon

I used to think that the sand bags used to hold down motorway road-works signs down were plucked chickens ready for the workers dinner.

Squire

I used to think the "no stopping sign" used to be a "no shopping sign" and I asked my dad how would people survive?

I was about 4 and a half years old.

Josh

I used to think that signs that said "Do Not Pass" on roads meant that you weren't allowed to drive past that point. I was always so worried that my mom would get pulled over.

Stupid

The handicap parking signs were a great mystery to me when I was young. The parking spots were always near the door, and I could never interpret the symbol. I concluded that these were special spots for people who had to use the restroom, because it looked like a person sitting on a toilet and it was so close to the entrance.

Sam

I grew up in New Jersey, so naturally there were a lot of highways. We would travel to see our relatives a lot, and since all of the highways looked the same, I could never figure out how my parents knew where to go. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the green signs on the highway said things like: "This Way to Grandma's House", so my parents wouldn't get lost.

Marna

You know those exit ramps on the highway that say "exit only"? When I was a kid, I used to think if you got off on one of those exits, you could not get back on the highway. I actually discovered the truth at age . . . well, let me put it this way. I was driving my own car when it finally dawned on me that those signs just meant the LANE was exit only!

Carmen

Before I was big enough to see over the dash of the car, I used to believe that all stop signs were held up by road workers. It was okay to proceed when the worker ran away with the sign and hid in a bush. I thank my older sister for that belief.

anonymous

For the longest time, I never understood the road signs- Pedestrian Xing. Truck Xing. Deer Xing. "What in the heck does xing mean", I thought. "And how did you pronounce it"?

Becky

I used to believe a mile was the distance between telephone poles.

Allegra

When driving downtown one day, my four-year old daughter was mentioned that it was a good thing she didn't have to go pee because I had parked right by a building with no bathrooms. I was confused until she showed me the sign with a large P and a slash through it (No Parking).

SusanS.

You know how highways have turn-around lanes between opposing traffic for emergency vehicles to use? They also almost always have a sign that says "Violators will be prosecuted." Being a little kid, I thought that was the same as "Violators will be executed." It didn't help matters when I asked my dad, "They wouldn't really prosecute them, would they?" And my dad said, "You bet they would!"

Jim Thomason

I thought the no overtaking sign meant that red cars cannot drive by black cars.

Helen

I convinced my sister that stop signs with white lines around them were optional....you could stop-if you want. She believed until she happened to notice that ALL stop signs had white lines around them

Minna

I can remember riding in the car as a child and seeing signs on the side of the road that read "Do Not Pass". I was always nervous that my parents were going to get in trouble for not stopping. They never seemed to even contemplate stopping, and no other cars ever stopped, either. These signs were often followed by "Pass with Care" signs, which made me think that we had to be especially cautious for some reason when traveling there. I was always aware that nobody else seemed to be upset by all the illegal "passing" that was going on so I figured they had to know something I didn't and that it would be revealed to me in time. I knew I would get laughed at if I asked out loud, so I never did. I would watch from the back seat to see if they saw the sign and if they would slow down or look out for hidden obstacles.

Yes, I am still neurotic.

hillbilligrl

When I was young, my mother told me you had to cross the street "only on the white lines," meaning the crosswalk. But I thought this meant you could only walk on the white part of the crosswalk, so I would have to jump from one line to the next. I thought if you stepped on the black part, the cars wouldn't stop for you anymore and you would get run over! I think I've got it figured out now...

Evilrabbit

I spent some time at a cottage when I was a kid. There was a sign from the Ministry of Transportation (M.O.T) at the local marina (run by a first nations band) that said "SLOW RIGHT DOWN / NO WAKE / M.O.T"

I always figured if we didn't slow the boat down enough the sleeping MOT monster would wake up and eat us...

Antony

Whenver i saw the sign " No riding on shoulder", i thought it meant you couldn't drive while on someones shoulders. After that i would look for people sitting on eachothers shoulders and driving!

Erin~

As a child I would notice the "Road slick when wet signs" (with the wavy lines below the silhouette of the car) and think that it was a warning that this crazy octopus creature could be found on that stretch of road.

Andrew