Regulatory Signs
Regulatory Signs
Regulatory signs tell you what you must do or must not do. In Indiana they normally appear as a white vertical rectangle with a black legend, and the exam tests whether you can read the sign and choose the correct action immediately. Red is reserved for prohibitions and for STOP and YIELD.
Core rules
- STOP is the only octagon; a full stop means all wheels stopped, then yield to traffic and pedestrians.
- YIELD is the inverted triangle: slow, be ready to stop, and enter only when safe.
- A red circle with a diagonal slash means the action shown is prohibited.
- SPEED LIMIT is a maximum in ideal conditions, not a target; a separate MINIMUM SPEED sign sets a floor.
- Lane-use signs such as LEFT TURN ONLY or RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT are regulatory, not suggestions.
- No parking, no standing, and no stopping differ: no parking still permits brief stopping to load or unload; no standing is stricter; no stopping bars all stopping except for traffic.
- Indiana permits a right turn on red after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, and a left turn on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street unless posted.
Worked example
You reach an intersection and see a white rectangular sign reading NO RIGHT TURN ON RED. The light is red and traffic is clear. The correct action is to stop fully and wait for a green light. The sign removes the usual Indiana right-turn-on-red permission; turning would be a violation even though the way looks clear.
Traps
Do not treat an advisory or warning message as regulatory, and do not assume a right turn on red is always legal. Read the sign's exact wording - NO TURN ON RED also blocks left turns on red.