Silver alert, call 511

Whilst driving along the 40 last week, a large electronic traffic sign said "Silver alert, call 511"

It sounded kind of scary but I had no idea what it meant. Here's the scoop:

"The new “Silver Alert” was officially launched Tuesday [December 2007]. State officials say it's much like he Amber Alert used to tell the public when a child has gone missing. A Silver Alert will be issued when people wander away from their homes or nursing facilities. Its biggest benefit is the ability to spread word of a missing person quickly and over a wide area."

It seems a silver alert is to track missing pensioners. Who knew?