Hawaii-Specific Signs and Situations
Some Hawaii test items are not drawn from the national sign catalogue at all - they come from island hazards and local law that change how you read the signs around you. Expect questions on evacuation route signing, freeway restrictions, low-water crossings, and the Hawaii statutes that sit behind ordinary signs.
Evacuation and hazard signing
- Tsunami Evacuation Route signs use a blue and white wave symbol and mark roads leading out of inundation zones. They are guide signs: they show the direction to safety, not a command to evacuate right now.
- Hurricane evacuation route signs do the same job for storm surge and wind.
- Low-water crossings carry depth gauges and flood warnings. Moving water is the hazard, not the sign; turn around rather than test the depth.
Freeway and route rules
- Pedestrians, bicycles, and mopeds are prohibited on the Interstate routes H-1, H-2, and H-3 and their ramps, and signs on the ramps reinforce this.
- Mopeds may not ride on sidewalks or freeways and must obey the same regulatory signs as cars.
- Hawaii's default speed limit is 25 mph in business and residential districts unless a different number is posted.
Hawaii law behind the signs
Handheld use of a phone or other electronic device while driving is prohibited statewide, and drivers under 18 may not use any cell phone, even hands-free. Seat belts are required for all occupants, and young children must be in an approved child restraint. Right turn on red is allowed after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it.
Worked example
You are driving a coastal road when the tsunami sirens sound and you pass a Tsunami Evacuation Route sign pointing inland. Reasoning: the sign is a guide, so it does not itself require you to stop or abandon the car; it marks the route out of the inundation zone. The correct action is to drive inland or to higher ground along the signed route if you can do so safely, rather than continuing along the coast or turning toward the shore.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating an evacuation route sign as a mandatory order or as a mere decoration.
- Assuming Hawaii's light rail or limited rail lines mean crossing rules can be ignored.
- Forgetting that freeway prohibitions apply to mopeds as well as pedestrians.
- Reading a brown coastal or historic sign as a services sign.
- Ignoring a low-water crossing warning because the water “looks shallow.”