Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
Three sign families
Arkansas uses the national shape-and-color system, and exam questions test whether you can classify a sign instantly. Regulatory signs are usually white with black or red markings and tell you what you must or must not do (speed limits, stop, yield, no parking). Warning signs are typically yellow diamonds and alert you to a change ahead - curves, intersections, pedestrian crossings, railroad advance warnings. Guide signs are green (or blue for services, brown for recreation) and give directions and information.
Special shapes carry fixed meanings: an octagon is always STOP, an inverted triangle is always YIELD, a pennant marks a no-passing zone, a round sign warns of a railroad crossing, and a crossbuck marks the crossing itself. A five-sided sign warns of a school zone or school crossing.
Signals and pavement markings
A solid red light means stop and remain stopped; flashing red means stop, then proceed when clear. A green arrow protects your movement, but a green circle does not. Solid yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions and generally may not be crossed; broken yellow lines permit passing when safe. White lines separate traffic moving the same direction, and a solid white edge line marks the right boundary of the roadway.
Traps
- Treating a yellow diamond as a rule rather than a warning.
- Assuming a flashing red is a yield sign - it is a stop.
- Confusing a pennant (no-passing) with a yield sign.
- Believing a double yellow line can be crossed to pass whenever you like.
Rule of thumb
Name the shape, then the color, then the message. Shape alone often eliminates the wrong answers before you read the text.