What good is a durable sign, if the post or fasteners let you down?
The cost of a post is often more costly than the cost of the sign itself. Then, when you look at the labor and
time needed to hammer the post into the ground and then suspend the sign itself, it is easy to understand why the post and fasteners matter
Breakaway Posts
The FHA has established criteria
that breakaway posts should be used for stop signs and other traffic signs.
The two measurements are critical. First, the post must not slow the car
by more than 15.4 feet per second (after an impact). In addition, the stub
height of the post that remains after the impact must be no higher than 4 inches. This is the easy part of the rules.
Yet, much depends on the soil and how the posts are buried. For strong soils, the standard posts are considered breakaway. For sandy or "weak" soils, a specifically engineered breakaway posts is needed. Most soils, however, are considered to be strong and, for a majority of sign installations, standard posts are acceptable.
As you can see, though, the rules here get very complicated very quickly. So, please call up our sign experts and check out how the signs in your area are already installed. Finally, make sure to consult with your local rules for further guidance.
