Road signs and road markings
Sign families
The exam expects fast recognition by shape and colour. Red triangles warn of danger; red circles prohibit; blue circles oblige; priority signs include yield, stop and priority road; rectangular signs give information or direction. Temporary signs on yellow backgrounds override permanent signs. A supplementary plate under a sign changes its scope, for example the distance, vehicle type or time of day.
Markings that decide priority
A continuous white line must not be crossed. A broken line may be crossed only when it is safe and the manoeuvre is allowed. A stop line belongs with a stop sign: stop before it. Give-way triangles mean yield, not necessarily stop. Arrows show permitted lane movements. Hatched areas separate traffic and should not be entered. Where a sign and a marking conflict, the sign normally governs, but temporary markings and police directions can change that.
Tractor-relevant signs
Watch for no tractors, no vehicles over a stated mass, width, height or axle load, and signs sending agricultural traffic to a specified route. A prohibition with an exception plate may allow local farm access, but only on the stated terms.
Worked example
You approach a junction with a yield sign and a broken give-way line. A car is coming from the left on the priority road. Reasoning: the sign requires you to give way, so slow and prepare to stop; the broken line does not give you priority; you may enter only when the car has passed and the exit is clear. If the sign were stop, a full stop would be required even if the road looked clear.
Traps
Treating a yield sign as a stop sign, or a stop sign as a yield sign; crossing a continuous line because the tractor is slow; ignoring a supplementary plate; and missing that a temporary yellow sign has replaced the permanent rule.