In order to make it as universal as possible, the convention allows some variations, for example danger warning signs can be triangular or square diamond in shape and road markings can be white or yellow.
In the United States, signs are based on the US Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Signs in the MUTCD are often more text-oriented, though some signs do use pictograms as well. Canada and Australia have road signs based substantially on the MUTCD. In South America, road signage is influenced by both the Vienna Convention and MUTCD.
The convention has 68 state parties as of August 2016: Albania, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The only countries in Europe that are not parties to the convention are Ireland, Andorra, Malta, the United Kingdom and Liechtenstein. Iceland, Spain, and the Holy See are all signatories but have yet to ratify the convention.
The only countries in Asia that are not parties to the convention are Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Republic of China (Taiwan), People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Yemen, Oman, North Korea, and Afghanistan. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, South Korea, and Thailand are all signatories, but have yet to ratify the convention.
Other countries have not signed the convention, however they have voluntarily adopted some of these Vienna convention signs.
Wherever you are in the world, you will be able to recognize the road sign for a pedestrian crossing. It always shows a person crossing a road, although each country has their own unique variation. The UK uses a stick man, Israel’s and Japan’s men have hats, whereas Qatar’s sign features a clothed person.
Warning signs for animals are common across the globe. Depending on where you are in the world, you will see different animals feature. Some of them are more unusual than others... Here are some examples:
Some countries have some unusual road signs. If you’re in the UK, US, or Russia, you might see a sign for a tank crossing if you’re close to a military base. In Denmark, they even have a helpful sign for anyone wearing high heels: be careful when walking down the cobbled streets.
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