Traffic Signs, Signals, and Pavement Markings
What this domain covers
This domain tests recognition and response: sign shape and color, signal meaning, and pavement markings. Colorado uses the national MUTCD system, so the same shapes and colors appear statewide.
Signs by shape and color
- Red octagon: STOP. Come to a complete stop at the stop line, crosswalk, or before entering the intersection.
- Red-and-white triangle: YIELD. Slow or stop to give way; you need not stop if the way is clearly clear.
- Yellow diamond: warning. Curves, intersections, deer, pavement changes. Yellow means caution, not regulation.
- Orange diamond: construction or maintenance. Speed and lane changes are often posted; fines may double in work zones when workers are present.
- White rectangle: regulatory. Speed limits, lane-use rules, no-turn signs.
- Green: guide signs (destinations, exits). Blue: services. Brown: recreation and public lands.
Signals and markings
A steady red means stop; after stopping, right turn on red is allowed unless prohibited. A steady yellow means the signal is changing; stop if you can do so safely. A steady green means proceed when clear. A flashing red is a stop sign; a flashing yellow means proceed with caution. A flashing yellow left-turn arrow means you may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians; it is not a protected turn.
Yellow pavement lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate traffic moving the same way. Broken lines may be crossed when safe; solid lines should not be crossed. A double solid yellow line means no passing in either direction. A center lane marked by two solid yellow lines with broken yellow on one side is a left-turn lane, not a travel lane.
Worked example
You approach an intersection with a flashing yellow left-turn arrow. The light for through traffic is green, and an oncoming car is approaching. The arrow does not protect you. You enter the intersection only when there is a safe gap, yield to the oncoming car, and complete the turn without stopping in the intersection. A driver who treats the flashing yellow arrow as a green arrow causes a common right-of-way crash.
Traps that cost marks
Orange is not a warning color for ordinary curves. A yield sign does not always require a full stop, but a stop sign always does. Do not cross a solid white line to change lanes merely because traffic is heavy. Do not confuse a flashing yellow signal with a flashing red.