rumble strip

American  

noun

1. one of a series of rough or slightly raised strips of pavement on a highway, intended to slow down the speed of vehicles, as before a toll booth.

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rumble strip British  

noun

1. one of a set of roughly surfaced strips set in a road on the approach to a junction or hazard, to alert drivers by means of a change in tyre noise

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Etymology

Origin of rumble strip

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

His head bounces inside the cockpit as a wheel shudders over a rumble strip.

From New York Times • May 13, 2023

However, video footage showed she had been driving "very, very close" to the "rumble strip" on the left side of the motorway, he said.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2023

Some is dislodged on a rumble strip at the exit, but some comes loose on Drumm Avenue, where it dries, gets caught in the wind and ends up coating cars and windowsills.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2022

The lawsuit alleges the state failed to post warning signs, had a road design that left little room for error and included no rumble strip to warn drivers they were getting close to the edge.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2021

Ravnsborg seemed unsure in the videos about how he had swerved onto the shoulder, but detectives told him bone scrapings were found on the shoulder's rumble strip.

From Fox News • Aug. 25, 2021