What Is A SIG Alert?

It's a commonly used term in California news broadcasts. So common that you might not even have thought about it. The widely used media broadcast traffic alert known as the SIG Alert warns drivers of unusual or hazardous traffic conditions.

SIGalerts calls attention to traffic that has come to a complete stop for 30 minutes or more, according to the California Highway Patrol. That happens everywhere, right? Perhaps.

It may come as a surprise, but only California media outlets and law enforcement use the term SIGalert to describe unplanned, bumper-to-bumper traffic advisories that tell drivers, "You're going to be late."

"I fully rely on GPS now," One Orange County driver, Beth, said. "When I see SIG alert, I assume it was short for Signal Alert, like a police signal."

Drivers across Southern California now rely on Google Maps or Waze to help them navigate the clogged freeways. All too often, a SIGAlert on the 405 can mean hours at a dead stop, but now, those apps can help drivers through side streets and shortcut recommendations.

But what does SIGalert mean?

Many drivers have heard the joke that SIGalerts meant "stay in your garage," as in, don't bother leaving home because traffic is really bad!

When Sigalerts are called, Google Maps freeways and side routes typically go red, as in the old "blood on the highway" driver's ed movies from the 1970s.

Perhaps it's tickled your brain that the Sigalert was coined by broadcast traffic pioneer Lloyd C. Sigmon.

According to a 1997 New York Times article, Sigmon was a forward-thinking broadcast journalist and the proud owner of a cream-colored Lincoln Continental with a hands-free cellular telephone and a vanity license plate that proclaimed "SIGALRT."

The term and the concept of the SIGalert started in 1955, when Sigmon broadcast for KMPC and KTLA-TV.

Working with the Los Angeles Police Department, Sigmon's solution was to install shortwave receivers. These would be activated by a signal from Los Angeles police headquarters. Then, the officer's bulletin would be recorded for immediate broadcast and was named by Los Angeles chief of police William H. Parker as a "Sigalert."

And yes, it did start as a joke.

The first SIGalert bulletin went out on Labor Day of that same year, drawing drivers' attention, and the rest is history.

Sigmon died in 2004 at the age of 95. As of 2017, the California Highway Patrol and other police agencies send out SIGalerts, and media broadcasts provide alternative route information for drivers who spend much of their time on the road.

For drivers, online and radio traffic reports remain important; however, many rely on apps such as Waze and Google Maps.

"I rely on Waze to tell me if there's traffic and to redirect me," another driver said.

Those apps might help you shave a few minutes off a complicated SIGalert drive across the county, especially if a plane crashes on the 405.

Then again, you may just want to stay in your garage until it's over.

Image, Patch