The Sign You Shouldn't See

According to a new campaign from Thanachart Insurance, every hour, two people lose their lives on Thailand’s roads, with about 84% of them motorcyclists.

Among the deadliest behaviors is riding against traffic — a shortcut that can end in a fatal head-on collision.

To address the problem, the company worked with YDM Thailand to install warning signs on the reverse side of traffic signs on National Highway 202 and surrounding routes in Roi-Et Province, targeting wrong-way motorcycle riders who cannot see conventional signage.

The campaign, titled “The Sign You Shouldn’t See,” was developed in response to a structural gap in road safety communication: traffic signs face the direction of legal travel, meaning riders going against traffic — among the most dangerous road behaviors in Thailand — are typically the only people who never see them.

The back of each sign was transformed into a funeral wreath constructed from real motorcycle accident parts, including broken mirrors, bent frames, and fragments from previous crashes.

In Thai culture, a wreath marks a life already lost.

The installation is positioned so it is visible only to riders approaching from the wrong direction.

Each installation was designed to be visible at motorcycle speed, durable for outdoor weather conditions, and positioned exclusively for riders approaching from the wrong direction.

“The Sign You Shouldn’t See — for the first time, we can reach the riders we couldn’t before.

And that means safer roads for everyone,” said Kongsak Hansawangsin, President, Thanachart Insurance Public Company Limited.

Suwannaphum Municipality has since adopted the “Sign You Shouldn’t See” as permanent road safety signage, according to the campaign.

“If you are doing the right thing, you will never see this sign,” said Somsak Settho, Mayor of Suwannaphum Municipality, Roi-Et Province.

YDM Thailand noted that the intervention is a replicable model for other high-risk roads where wrong-way riding remains a persistent cause of motorcycle accidents, noting that the behavior is not limited to one road, province, or country.

Motorcycles account for a significant share of road fatalities across Southeast Asia, according to the release.