Road signs, signals and road markings
Road Signs: Shape, Colour and Meaning
Read the shape before the words
Every road sign you will meet is built from three layers of information: shape, colour and symbol. Learn them in that order and you can answer a sign question even when the symbol is unfamiliar or the sign is partly obscured.
Warning signs are triangles with a red border and a light background, pointing upwards. They tell you a hazard lies ahead - a bend, a hump, a school, a pedestrian crossing, a railway crossing. A warning sign never imposes a legal prohibition; it warns.
Regulatory signs are circles. A red circle means a prohibition or restriction: no entry, no left turn, a speed limit, no overtaking. A blue circle means a mandatory instruction: turn left, keep left, minimum speed. Two shapes break the pattern: the STOP sign is the only octagon, and the GIVE WAY sign is an inverted triangle.
Information and direction signs are rectangles, usually blue, green or brown. They guide rather than command.
Traps that appear in questions
- Confusing the inverted triangle (give way) with the upright triangle (warning).
- Confusing no entry (red circle with a single white horizontal bar) with signs banning particular vehicles.
- Confusing no parking with no stopping - parking lets you set down passengers, stopping does not.
- Forgetting that a warning sign tells you nothing you must do; it only tells you what to expect.
Worked example
You see a red circle containing a white horizontal bar. Shape = circle, colour = red, so it is a prohibition. The bar is the symbol for no entry. You must not drive past it, even to reach an address on that street. Rule of thumb: shape first, colour second, symbol third.
Signals and Road Markings
Traffic light signals
Lights run red → red and amber → green → amber → red. Red and amber together means prepare to move but do not go yet. Amber alone means stop, unless you are so close to the line that stopping would be dangerous. A green light is a permission, not a guarantee: you must still be sure the way ahead is clear before you move. A police officer directing traffic overrides lights, signs and markings - if an officer waves you through a red light, obey the officer.
Road markings
Markings are signals painted on the road, and they are the ones candidates misread most.
- Solid white centre line: do not cross or straddle it. No overtaking.
- Broken white centre line: you may cross to overtake when it is safe and you can see far enough ahead.
- Solid white stop line across your lane: stop here at a STOP sign or traffic light.
- Double broken line: give-way line - you need not stop, but you must not proceed unless clear.
- Yellow criss-cross box: do not enter unless your exit beyond it is clear.
- Yellow lines at the kerb: parking restrictions apply.
- Lane arrows: once you are in that lane you must follow the direction painted in it.
Traps
Questions swap 'solid' for 'broken', or attach a parking meaning to a centre line. Another favourite is treating amber as 'speed up to beat the light'.
Worked example
The light is green, but traffic is queued across a yellow box junction ahead. You must not enter the box until there is room to clear it - the green light does not excuse blocking the box. Rule of thumb: if the line is unbroken, do not cross it.