The Netherlands is getting ready for a safer beach season by making its beach flags more explicit, adding words and images to the color-coding, after finding widespread misunderstandings.
The new flags use the same colors as before: red, yellow and combined red-yellow.
Yellow, which many people appear to have thought meant caution, but not danger, now shows an image of a drowning swimmer to stress that it is dangerous to go in. Red, meaning no entry for swimmers, now features an image of a swimmer behind a no-entry symbol. The combined red and yellow, which many associated with danger, now has an image and words to emphasize that it means a lifeguard is on duty.
English text was added to the flags; according to an official “We chose to add text in English because a significant number of visitors to Dutch beaches come from abroad. We also assume that most Dutch people are familiar with the terms ‘warning’ and ‘do not swim.'”
