TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin French Side mystery road sign question

Not even sure if it is a road sign, but ...
Image driving from Orient to Grand Case, going down the hill and the road swerves left - just before the curve to the left, on the passenger side of the road is what appears to me to be a black painted human form with a red lightening bolt head level. There is another one, same side of the road approacing Grande Case, not sure where exactly, but past the turn to the GC airport I think.

Whenever we drove past always meant to ask what they were, but kept forgetting.

Anyone?
J&B

I saw those two signs this last trip. I kind of thought they represented a place were someone had been killed, similar to the placing of a cross along our roads. No confirmation, just my thought.

I thought it was the beware of guy on motor scooter sign. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

http://www.sdm-protect.com/danger-electrocution-4180151,jpg.html

High tension electrical lines danger, so must be some sort of electrical wiring or box in that location

Those signs are part of a campaign of sensibilization for scooter and motorbike rider to drive safely and wear the helmet... They are placed alongside the roads where one of them lost their life...

Thanks for the explanantion

J&B

Then why would the sign warn of danger by electrocution? I think MarcG has it right. These particular signs have nothing to do with scooters.

Sounds like possibly we're talking about two different signs.

JohnandBev, did the sign look like the one that Marc linked? Was trying to fix his post and couldn't figure it out somehow, although I could copy and paste the url and see it.

Did not get the link to work, but went to that site and found the danger signs, not what I was talking about. What I saw was a fairly large black shape - looks human-ish with a red lightning bolt near the top? No words on the sign
J&B

I can't figure out why I can't get that link to work here, but I copied and pasted it and got it to come up in a new window. No RED lightning bolt in the sign he linked, but there is a lightning bolt by the person's head.

Can't see it on my screen either.

The red squiggle at the top of those signs looked like a sperm to me. I'm a signmaker but those are some very strange signs.

Thats because the jpg.hlml isn't highlighted on the link.

True, but I couldn't figure out how to post it myself, somehow.

Got it to work - paste all including the ",jpg.html" into a browser and make sure all is highlighted

Regardless not the sign / image I saw

J&B

OK, thanks. Not sure why that url is such a pain.

THe sign is not warning of danger of electrocution, it has nothing to do with it.. it has to do with scooters and motorbikes!
The silhouette sign in question is also in the picture from this article, and this is what i said.. a campaign fpr motorbike and scooters to sensibilize them to wear the helmet.... (I let you the burden to translate the article if you want...)
http://www.stmartinweek.com/rubriques/societe/la-premiere-silhouette-posee-a-quartier-dorleans.html

This may cause problems with some websites, especially those that use plugins like Flash.

This message appears on the actual website that Marc was linking to.

I was able to see the sign he was speaking of and it warns of electrocution.

Looking at this last posted link the red looking lightning bolt on the black silhouette is probably there to resemble a bloody head from an accident location that another poster indicated.

It's all over France..... not only sxm!

https://www.google.fr/search?q=97150+st+...te+noire+mortel

It sounds like the sign you saw was something that was made to order by somebody and made larger to get attention, rather than the similar sign that could be purchased. Seems like it is getting a lot of attention!

islandgem... the sign the OP is questioning is not a sign warning of electrocution... It is a sign that is part of a sensibilization campagn regarding deadly sccoter and motorbikes accident, and they are placed where someone lost the life, all over the territory of french St Martin.. the same signs also exist all over France. They are made by the collectivity, or different government organism. It is not a commercial sign like MarcG shown in his link. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Yes, I am aware of that. I was only trying to reference what Marc was referring to in the link he provided.

Apparently, in France these black silhouettes are placed on the road side at the scene of fatal accidents to educate other drivers. However, they are not too popular with the family members of the deceased who are constantly reminded of the family member's death each time they drive on that road. They are advocating that these signs be removed and that a more appropriate memorial sign be placed in this spot instead.

Thanks for the link, that is the image / sign we saw

With the help of google translate, the article explains the installation of silhouettes on the scene of the fatal accidents to bring attention to the traffic deaths on motor cycles, the program seems to have started late 2014. It seems St Martin traffic fatalities doubled in 2014 - 6 up from 3 in 2013, that last one in 2014 was a high school student.

J&B

I know they are controversial and can understand the families position about them, but that wasn't the question... The OP wanted to know what they meant <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

The mystery is now solved
Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond
TTOL does work!
J&B

Iall is correct

I wondered about these as well last time we were there. Definitely an odd sign. I guess the red squiggly is a cracked open skull??

Marc is correct....they were installing high tension wire when we were there last year and this year they posted those signs. There's tons of building going on and they're burying the wires & cables.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Contessa

Please.. read the whole thread, look at the links posted and the pictures, analyse, then.. and only "then".. post!...
You are way off.
Again... This and these signs have NOTHING to do "electricity"... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> pffffffff <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/snore.gif" alt="" />

This is a French electrocution sign, this is not what people are talking about.

http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/electrocution-sign-french.jpg

Oh my... why people don't read the thread before posting or if they do, why don't they make the effort to reply to the intended person instead of a "quick reply".... and then to anyone! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

The original poster has confirmed that the sign that they were talking about is the one referring to the motorcycle fatalities. Please people, before you weigh in on a long thread like this, read some of the rest of the thread, to see if the question has already been answered.