Lantern ring
The lantern ring is a traffic sign and features within built-up areas lanterns which are not switched on throughout the night. In the red field it can be indicated in white letters when the lantern will be switched off. The sign is unknown internationally, only in Germany and Austria it is listed in the official traffic sign catalog.
history
The lantern ring is one of the oldest traffic signs in Germany. It was already listed in the road traffic regulations of 1937 under picture numbers 35 and 36. The traffic sign was placed at a height of 1.5 to 1.8 m around the lamppost and was used even then as a marker for lanterns that are extinguished in the dark. Motor vehicle drivers were not allowed to park their vehicle in the light of such a lantern overnight without their own lighting.
Legal basis
In Germany, the regulation on the directional sign lantern sign (sign 394) can be found in Appendix 3 to Section 42 (2) of the Road Traffic Act (StVO) under serial number 38. Article 1 of the General Administrative Regulation on Road Traffic Regulations (VwV-StVO) regulates Section 42 directional signs: Re sign 394 Lantern ring: Rings and signs are 70 mm high, signs 150 mm wide. The Austrian road traffic regulations list the lantern ring in § 53 (sign) under number 12.
Sign 394
(Germany)
Sign 12
(Austria)
German court judgments
The Higher Regional Court of Braunschweig states that if the lantern is not marked with the sign 394, a vehicle driver can trust that the lantern will burn all night (OLG Braunschweig VRS 14, 133). However, the driver of the vehicle must also find out whether the lantern has been on all night (OLG Braunschweig NJW 1957, 1848).
The Bavarian Supreme Court ruled that if the sign 394 is missing, the lantern must not be switched off at night (BayObLG VRS 12, 456).
