Roadway signs in the United States increasingly use symbols rather than words to convey their message. Symbols provide instant communication with roadway users, overcome language barriers, and are becoming standard for traffic control devices throughout the world. Familiarity with symbols on traffic signs is important for every road user in order to maintain the safety and efficiency of our transportation facilities.

In September 2017, a Cape Breton, N.S., man also died after a stun gun didn't work. The man was trying to harm himself by jumping from an overpass, and a Cape Breton Regional Police officer fired his Taser to try to immobilize him. It struck the man but but didn't stop him, and an instant later, he died by suicide, according to a report by Nova Scotia's police watchdog, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

In New Brunswick and in Nova Scotia, at least two people have died in recent years after the weapons didn't immobilize them.

Tasers and other stun guns can fail for a number of reasons, according to RCMP Sgt. Wayne Knapman, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the training section for the RCMP in Nova Scotia and the senior use-of-force expert in the division.

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Axon said when a person is not incapacitated by a Taser it is usually because one of the required conditions for the weapon's functionality are not met.

"Some fields cannot afford any real margin of error," said Oriola. "Within a field such as policing you've got to get it right practically all of the time, and this is where those tensions arise. This tool still needs further refinement."

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But the success rate isn't high enough for Temitope Oriola, a criminology professor who studied stun guns at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He said he doesn't know of anyone tracking how often stun gun failures lead to police using deadly force.

"Had that weapon been more effective than it was, then I believe that we would, obviously, have a different outcome," said Alisa Lombard, a lawyer representing Levi's family.

Standards for the sign design and application of the signs shown here as well as for other traffic control devices are contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Dimension drawings for signs can be found in the Standard Highway Signs book. Both of these books are available in electronic format online at https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov. This web site also contains information on standard lettering used on highway signs and pavement markings and on highway sign color specifications.

"The family continues to be in deep mourning. You know, there's essentially zero feedback on what's happening, no sharing of evidence. [They] let the family sit there and percolate in their absolute grief wondering what the hell happened and how the heck it could have happened."

When one of the darts, also called probes, doesn't strike the person, the electric circuit can't be formed and the person isn't immobilized, said Knapman. Loose-fitting clothing can keep the probes from reaching a person, preventing the weapon from working.

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There is also a "defensive mechanism" that can counteract the effects of a stun gun, said Knapman, but he wouldn't reveal what that was.

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"It is an electrical device, there are times it can fail for multiple reasons … we can't rely on that one tool, we have to have multiple options," said Knapman. "All our tools have the possibility of failing, even our firearms."

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They tried to use a Taser on Levi multiple times. But it didn't immobilize him, and he was shot and killed by an officer. It's not clear why the Taser didn't work. A coroner's inquest has been ordered into Levi's death.

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Rodney Levi was one person a stun gun didn't work on. His family thinks that may have played a part in his death at the hands of police.

In September 2018, there was another incident in Lower Sackville where the RCMP responded to a report of a woman becoming violent after taking drugs. Officers fired a stun gun at her, and the darts struck her midsection and leg. She was momentarily stunned, then removed one of the darts, ending the effects of the weapon.

Test your Sign IQ by taking the interactive shape and color quiz available on the web at https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov. On the navigation bar under Knowledge, select Sign Shape/Color.

In investigating the suicide in Cape Breton, for instance, SIRT concluded that one of the Taser's darts entered the man's back, while the other landed in the hem of his shorts and did not penetrate his skin.

In an email, the company said police forces need to clearly identify why a Taser doesn't work and if it was caused by environmental or situational factors versus a weapon error. Figuring out the cause of the failure will determine whether more officer training is needed or if a weapon needs to be serviced.

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Despite the limitations, Knapman said, Tasers and other stun guns are an excellent tool and make police work much safer for officers and the public. He said in some cases a Taser can safely resolve what might otherwise be a lethal encounter.

Stun guns work by firing a pair of darts attached to wires. When the darts connect with a person's body they form an electric circuit. The wires carry a jolt of electricity that causes an uncontrollable muscle contraction that usually immobilizes someone, forcing them to the ground.

Tasers are used any time an officer feels they or the public are going to be seriously hurt by someone, said Knapman. If an officer is in that kind of danger, they could also draw their gun. In fact, if an officer is alone in that kind of situation, they would draw their gun and not their Taser.

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Nova Scotia RCMP say stun guns are effective 87 per cent of the time at making a person comply with police orders, including instances when the weapon is simply drawn and not fired. Last year, its officers in the province drew their stun guns 59 times, firing them in 17 cases.

"I mean, how do you jump from one being sufficient to the other being justifiable in a matter of seconds? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

Still, Lombard said the public needs to discuss what an appropriate use of force by police is and if those standards should change.

"There's a really big difference between being administered an electromagnetic shock and being dealt a fatal blow from a firearm," said Lombard.

In October 2017, a man in Lower Sackville was trying to harm himself so officers used a stun gun on him, but it "appeared to have minimal effect as the AP (Affected Party) continued to be combative," said a SIRT report.

Oriola said when stun guns don't work, the person who was hit with one can become even more agitated and lash out. He said police forces across the country use stun guns far too frequently and should focus on de-escalation, ways of calming people down to reduce the chances of conflict.

Sign shape can also alert roadway users to the type of information displayed on a sign. Traffic regulations are conveyed in signs that are rectangular with the longer direction vertical or square. Additional regulatory signs are octagons for stop and inverted triangles for yield. Diamond-shaped signs signify warnings. Rectangular signs with the longer direction horizontal provide guidance information. Pentagons indicate school zones. A circular sign warns of a railroad crossing.

Prepared in 2002 by the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Transportation Operations

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He said there are no long-lasting effects from the use of a Taser compared to weapons like pepper spray or a baton. He said a Taser jolt lasts for five seconds, versus pepper spray, which can be painful for an hour or more.

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Hard copies of the MUTCD can be purchased from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (http://www.aashto.org); the Institute of Transportation Engineers (http://www.ite.org); the American Traffic Safety Services Association (http://www.atssa.com); and the US Government Printing Office (http://www.gpo.gov). The Standard Highway Signs book can be purchase from the US Government Printing Office and the American Traffic Safety Services Association through the web sites listed above.

Lombard wants police forces across the country to cut down on how often they use all their weapons. She said communication is key.

In some cases, it's not obvious why a stun gun doesn't incapacitate a person. In other cases, it's more clear: For instance, a stun gun doesn't work unless two or more of the darts it fires connect with a person.

The color of roadway signs is an important indicator of the information they contain. The use of red on signs is limited to stop, yield, and prohibition signs. A white background indicates a regulatory sign; yellow conveys a general warning message; green shows permitted traffic movements or directional guidance; fluorescent yellow/green indicates pedestrian crossings and school zones; orange is used for warning and guidance in roadway work zones; coral is used for incident management signs;** blue indicates road user services, tourist information, and evacuation routes; and brown is for guidance to sites of public recreation or cultural interest.

In the hands of police, stun guns like Tasers are designed to save lives, but when the weapons don't incapacitate someone there can be fatal consequences — from officers using lethal force to a person continuing to harm themselves.

On June 12, officers responded to a complaint of an unwanted person at a home near Miramichi, N.B., according to an RCMP spokesperson. When they arrived, RCMP said, they faced Levi, who was holding knives.

Axon, the company that manufactures Tasers, said its weapons require two or more probes to connect with a target and they must hit sufficient muscle mass to effectively incapacitate someone.

For More Information: https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ Contact Information: Kevin Sylvester at Kevin.Sylvester@dot.gov

**The use of coral for incident management signs was anticipated for inclusion in the 2003 edition of the MUTCD at the time of this printing.