This Is What the Bizarre 'Squid Game' Road Sign Really Means

Police in the U.K. have issued a reassuring message that a British road sign will not lead drivers to a real-life Squid Game, but instead is an indicator of a detour route.

The sign on the side of the M4, a highway in Slough, England, featured a circle, square and triangle—the same shapes printed on the invite issued to participants in the popular Netflix series.

TVP Roads Policing, an operations unit with Hampshire Roads Police, shared a statement to Twitter, ensuring drivers that the signage was not related to the hit show.

"We can confirm that by following this signage from the M4 Junction 5 in Slough will not lead you to the popular Netflix series Squid Game," it wrote.

"It's just directions for diversion routes during the roadworks...phew!"

What does the sign really mean?

Much to the relief, or disappointment, of drivers, the road sign did not indicate a sinister mass competition of childhood games resulting in hundreds of brutal deaths. Instead, the British driving system often uses pictograms on road signs to provide universal information or warnings.

In this case, outlines of triangles, squares and circles on road signs "show [an] emergency diversion [detour] route for motorway and other main road traffic."

Highways England pointed Newsweek to information on the symbols, which advised that: "There are four shapes—square, triangle, circle and diamond—but each can be shown filled or in outline, making eight distinct symbols. Close to motorway junctions, and on roads near to or following the line of a motorway, they are commonly placed on direction signs, either manufactured as part of the sign or added later on a vinyl patch."

Colin Evans, National Highways regional safety coordinator for the South East, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Be rest assured there's no need to panic. National Highways isn't setting drivers any Squid Games challenges to follow the glass stepping stones, any red or green lights, or to take part in any tug of war. The signs at junction 5 of the M4 are legitimate diversion routes keeping drivers safe and on the move."

In 1965, Britain moved over to a new signage system designed by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir, in which quick-to-digest universal pictograms tended to be favored over typography on road signs. Prior to the redesign, signs on the road were "static with erratic fonts, designs and sizes. Crashes were frequent," as per The Times.

The redesign also saw the shape of the actual sign itself carry a meaning, with triangular signs indicating a warning, rectangular ones issuing information and circular ones giving orders.

The symbols are a part of Britain's Highway Code, a set of rules and advice drivers must learn and follow when on the roads.

All drivers in Britain must pass a driving theory test before becoming a legal driver. The theory test contains questions surrounding the Highway Code, and the government's official "method of learning to drive a car" also includes learning the Highway Code as a vital step.

The use of some symbols in signs are sometimes criticized by drivers, who claim they are easy to forget or not recognize the meaning of—case in point, the Squid Game confusion.

Squid Game's very different meaning

In Squid Game however, the symbols have a far different meaning than that of the Highway Code. Given to those desperate for a life-changing sum of money, invites to the games feature a triangle, square and circle on the front.

The shapes are also worn on the masks of the games' guards, who often commit the brutal murders of participants.

In the final game of the series, participants take part in the titular squid game, also known as ojingeo. The game sees the shapes outlined on the floor.

It's unsurprising that the show would be so fresh on the mind of Slough drivers, with it just ranking as Netflix's most successful original series. So far, over 111 million subscribers have watched the show.

Update 10/14/21, 11:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Colin Evans.