Street sign theft
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Street sign theft is the phenomenon of street signs that are considered unusual or amusing being stolen by collectors, sometimes repeatedly or as a popular student room decoration. Sometimes considered to be a prank by the perpetrators, the theft is often expensive and inconvenient, and sometimes dangerous.
In one notable United States case, the thieves were found guilty of murder for stealing a stop sign, and thereby causing a deadly collision. This was popularized in the novel Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney.
Popular culture can act as a catalyst to street sign theft. The Beatles, oddly enough, have been some of the greatest perpetuators of street sign theft. The popular song Penny Lane, on the album Magical Mystery Tour, has made the Penny Lane street sign the most widely stolen sign in Liverpool. The album Abbey Road and the Abbey Road Studios have also contributed a great deal to street sign theft in City of Westminster. Popular television series can also spark an increase in street sign theft when a street or town name features as the title, or part of the title, of the series (such as Coronation Street, Jump Street, or Shortland Street). Any highway or road numbered 420 is a prime target for sign theft, as are 666 and other numbers with meanings in popular culture. Jeff Foxworthy has alluded to street sign theft being a family hobby as a sign one might be a redneck.
See also
- Fucking, Austria
- Lost, Scotland
- Nirvana Ave., Melbourne, Australia
- Manhole cover theft
- Parking meter theft
External links
- Daily Nebraskan article (http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/25/3f726a9a394ef?in_archive=1)
- Bill Breeden article in Owen County news (http://www.owencounty.org/news/061401.htm)
- Kansas State University Collegian article (http://www.kstatecollegian.com/issues/v101/fa/n018/city-gov-newsigns-alloway.html)
- Obtaining traffic signs (legally) (http://www.trafficsign.us/signpurch.html)