A A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel. Facilities may include park• like areas, fuel stations, restrooms, and restaurants. A rest area or rest stop with limited or no public facility is a parking area or scenic area. Rest areas are common in the United States, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe and Asia. The standards and upkeep of rest areas facilities vary. Rest areas also have parking areas allotted for buses, tractor-trailer trucks (big rigs) and recreational vehicles. Many government-run rest areas tend to be located in remote and rural areas where there are practically no fast food or full-service restaurants, gas stations, motels, and other traveler services nearby. The locations of rest areas are usually marked by signs on the highway; for example, a sign may read, "Next Rest Stop - 10 Kilometres".Driving information is usually available at these locations, such as posted maps and other local information. There might also be vending machines, pay telephones, a gas station, a restaurant or a convenience store at a rest area. Many rest areas have picnic areas. Rest areas tend to have traveler information in the form of so-called "exit guides", which often contain very basic maps and advertisements for motels and tourist attractions. Privatized commercial rest areas may take a form of a large service center complete with a gas station (or petrol station in Britain) , arcade video games and recreation center, and fast food restaurant, cafeteria, or food court all under one roof immediately adjacent to the freeway. Some even offer business services, such as ATMs, fax machines, office cubicles and internet access.Rest areas without modem restrooms are called parking areas. These locations have parking spaces for trucks and cars, or for semi-trailer trucks only. Some have portable toilets and waste containers.The term lay-by is used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to describe a roadside parking or rest area forVldrivers. Equivalent terms in the United States are "turnout" or "pullout". Lay-bys can vary in size from a simple parking bay alongside the carriageway sufficient for one or two cars only, to substantial areas that are separated from the carriageway by verges and can accommodate dozens of vehicles.They are marked by a rectangular blue sign bearing a white letter P, and there should also be advance warning of lay-bys to give drivers time to slow down safely. In practice, many local authorities neglect to maintain these signs to an adequate degree, and sometimes they are missing entirely. Lay-bys are beneficial to road safety as they provide somewhere safe for drivers to stop, whether they wish simply to rest, check directions, make a phone call, stretch their legs, or take refreshments.At some larger lay-bys mobile catering is provided by vendors operating from converted caravans, trailers or coaches. These facilities generally offer much better value for money than roadside restaurants and therefore tend to be popular with truckers. Some lay-bys have parking restrictions to prevent lorries using them as overnight parking, or as a long term storage area for trailers, and some have been permanently closed off by councils because of problems caused by their occupation by Travellers or other itinerants.