Estonia will soon get a few new traffic signs the meaning of which might not be immediately clear from the images used, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Friday.

One new traffic sign is meant to warn people that self-driving or autonomous vehicles are being used on a particular road. There will also be a ski lift sign and signs to designate the beginning and end of frontier zones. Another new traffic sign will warn drivers of low-hanging branches on roads where protected species of trees cannot be pruned.

Permission for installing traffic signs will have to come from the owner of the road following an economy minister's regulation.

The frontier zone sign has been proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the rest are from the Road Administration. There are not many special traffic signs in Estonia, while many depict different animals as can be encountered in wooded areas or near parks.

"Not many experimental traffic sign permits are issued. The Road Administration only issues a few such permits annually. As concerns animals, those most likely to stray onto the road in a given area can be put on traffic signs," said Mait Klein, chief specialist of the economy ministry's transport and traffic service.

The new traffic sign designs have been sent out for coordination by road custodians, the Estonian Association of Cities and Rural Municipalities and the other ministries.

New signs should appear on the sides of roads from January 1.

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