California Road Signs Practice cheat sheet

Shape carries meaning: octagon = STOP only; inverted triangle = YIELD only; pennant = No Passing Zone; round = railroad advance warning; crossbuck (X) = railroad crossing at the tracks; pentagon = school zone/advance school crossing.

Color carries meaning: red = stop/prohibit/do not enter; white = regulatory (law) except the orange work-zone family; yellow = warning; fluorescent yellow-green = pedestrian, bicycle, and school warning; orange = construction and maintenance; blue = services and information; green = distance, direction, and destination; brown = recreation and cultural areas.

Railroad device hierarchy: round yellow advance warning sign (placed in advance), crossbuck at the crossing, then a white on-black "2 TRACKS" or "3 TRACKS" plaque gives the number of tracks; a crossbuck alone means one track.

Regulatory signs posted at an intersection apply to that intersection only; a speed sign not otherwise marked is a maximum for ideal conditions, and a posted minimum speed limit means driving slower than it is a violation.

Warning sign selection: curve and turn signs, hill/downgrade signs, slippery-when-wet, and lane-ends signs are warnings, so they do not themselves impose a legal duty - the underlying rule (speed, lane use) does.

Prohibition signs to distinguish: "DO NOT ENTER" (square, red/white) faces traffic that must not proceed; "WRONG WAY" (red/white rectangle) is posted inside a one-way roadway facing wrong-direction traffic; "NO" with a symbol means the pictured action is prohibited.

Sign placement and spacing: advance warning signs are set at a distance based on the posted speed (commonly about 100–200 m on rural roads, shorter in urban areas), so a warning sign appearing does not mean the hazard begins at the sign.

YIELD requires slowing and, if necessary, stopping to let cross traffic and pedestrians go; STOP requires a full stop at the limit line, crosswalk, or edge of the roadway before proceeding.

Steady red = stop at the limit line, crosswalk, or before entering the intersection; a right turn on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, and you must yield to pedestrians and cross traffic.

Steady yellow = the signal is about to turn red; stop if you can do so safely, otherwise proceed through with caution - it is not a signal to accelerate.

Flashing red is treated as a STOP sign (stop, then proceed when safe); flashing yellow is a caution signal - slow down and proceed with care, no stop required.

Green arrow = protected movement in the arrow's direction only; a green arrow turning to steady green means the movement is no longer protected and oncoming traffic may be released.

Red arrow = no movement in the arrow direction; a left turn on a red arrow is not permitted, unlike a right turn on a steady circular red where that is allowed.

Dark or non-functioning signal at an intersection = treat it as an all-way stop (stop, then proceed in order of arrival); a signal in flashing mode follows the flash rule, not the dark-signal rule.

Pedestrian signals: steady WALK/white walking person means pedestrians may start; flashing DON'T WALK/hand means finish crossing but do not start; steady DON'T WALK means do not enter the crosswalk.

Lane-use signals (overhead red X and green arrow): red X closes the lane, green arrow means the lane is open in that direction; a yellow X means the lane is about to close - move out.

At a signal with a sign reading "LEFT TURN YIELD ON GREEN," a circular green does not protect the left turn: you must wait for a gap in oncoming traffic.

Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate traffic moving in the same direction or mark the right edge of the roadway.

Broken yellow line on your side = passing and crossing permitted when safe; solid yellow on your side = do not cross or pass; double solid yellow = no passing or crossing for either direction.

Two-way left-turn lane: bounded by solid yellow on the outside and broken yellow (or broken white) inside; it is for left turns from either direction only, not for travel or passing.

Broken white line = lane change permitted when safe; solid white line = lane change discouraged and often prohibited near intersections, ramps, and tunnels.

Edge lines: solid white marks the right edge, solid yellow marks the left edge of a divided highway or one-way road - a yellow line at the left edge warns that you are at the roadway boundary.

Stop line = wide solid white bar across the lane; it is the point where you must stop for a stop sign or signal, and it is placed before the crosswalk.

Crosswalks: two parallel white lines (transverse) or a series of wide bars (continental) both mark a crosswalk; a crosswalk also exists at an intersection even when unmarked.

Chevron and diagonal markings: white chevrons in a gore area mean keep out; yellow diagonal stripes bordered by solid lines mark a painted median or island that vehicles must not enter.

Railroad pavement marking: a large white X with the letters RR ahead of the tracks is a pavement-level advance warning and accompanies the round yellow sign.

Uncontrolled intersection: the first vehicle to arrive has the right-of-way; if two arrive at the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first; a vehicle turning left yields to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right.

Entering a roadway from a driveway, alley, parking lot, or private road: you yield to all traffic already on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Passing rules: pass on the left, and do not pass at a solid yellow line, on a hill crest, in a curve with limited sight distance, at a railroad crossing, or within an intersection unless the lane is designated for it.

Following distance: use the three-second rule in good conditions, and increase it in rain, at night, behind large vehicles, or when being tailgated - the gap is measured from the moment the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point.

Speed limits: obey the posted maximum; the basic speed law also requires a speed reasonable for conditions, so driving the posted limit can still be too fast in fog, rain, or heavy traffic.

Pedestrians: yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, and do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk - that vehicle may be yielding to a pedestrian you cannot see.

Emergency vehicles: on hearing or seeing an approaching siren or flashing lights, pull to the right edge and stop until it passes; do not stop in an intersection - clear it first.

School buses: when a school bus displays flashing red lights and a stop arm on a two-lane road, traffic in both directions must stop; on a divided highway, only traffic on the bus's side must stop.

Parking and stopping: do not stop within an intersection, on a crosswalk or sidewalk, within a marked fire lane, or within the posted distance of a fire hydrant, stop sign, or railroad crossing.