Sign vandalism costs millions of dollars each year in increased maintenance costs and is a contributing cause to many accidents as well. In addition to the accident itself, vandalized signs can expose the roadway agency and municipality to tort liability cases. Surveys of state and local agencies indicate that an average of 30 percent of all sign replacement and repair is due to vandalism and that an average of 30 percent of the sign maintenance budget is required for vandalized signs. Acts of sign vandalism are categorized as destruction, mutilation, and theft [16].
Destruction occurs when the sign support or sign face is physically damaged to the extent that it no longer serves its intended purpose. Destruction vandalism includes damage from
• Gunshot
• Thrown projectiles such as rocks and bricks
• Sign bending
• Sign or support burning
• Deliberate sign or support knockdown
• Sign cutting with snips or saw
• Support twisting that results in improper orientation
• Support cutting
Sign mutilation occurs when the installation is altered or defaced in such a manner that the sign is illegible or loses its nighttime retroreflectivity characteristics. Examples of sign mutilation include
• Application of paint by spray or brush
• Application of unauthorized stickers or decals
• Contamination by caustic substances
• Alteration of sign legend by crayon, lipstick, or ink markers
• Reorientation of the sign panel
• Scratching the sign surface
• Peeling or removing reflective sheeting
Theft is the unauthorized removal of a sign assembly or any of its parts. Some common reasons for theft include
• Home decoration
• Relationship of the sign legend to an individual’s name or interests
• Construction or scrap value of the wood, aluminum, or metal parts
• Firewood
• Uniqueness of the sign legend
