Signs showing the number of deaths on a stretch of road are being removed because they are now considered to be a hazard, it has been reported.
The signs on the A1 in Northumberland are thought to be an information overload, distracting drivers and making the roads more dangerous.
It is estimated that 20 signs have been put up on the long stretch of single carriageway since the early nineties in a bid to scare drivers into slowing down.
They show the number of casualties in the last three years, but are now all set to be taken down.
A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: ‘The signs were put up as an experiment in the early 1990s.
‘But research has shown that they have not had a noticeable effect on accident figures.’
It seems that recent studies have shown that drivers are now suffering from too many distractions on the roads, dubbed ‘information overload’.
However a spokesman for the AA said casualty information signs show the public that speed cameras are justified.
He added: ‘We need to keep the public on side with road safety initiatives and telling them why we are bothering to enforce the law is very important.’