Warning Signs
Warning signs alert you to hazards ahead so you can adjust speed and position. Kansas practice questions test the yellow diamond format, common symbols, advisory speeds, and the difference between a warning and a regulatory command. Most warning signs are yellow diamonds with black symbols or words; fluorescent yellow-green is used for some school and pedestrian warnings.
Core rules
- Yellow diamond signs warn of curves, intersections, hills, lane ends, pavement changes, deer, cattle, farm equipment, and traffic signals ahead.
- Advisory speed plaques are yellow rectangles below a warning sign. They show a recommended safe speed for the hazard, not the legal maximum for the whole road.
- Stop Ahead and Yield Ahead warn that a stop or yield sign is coming; they do not replace that sign.
- Two-Way Traffic warns that a divided road becomes undivided or that opposing traffic will share your roadway.
- No Passing Zone signs mark where passing is prohibited; the pavement marking usually reinforces the rule.
Worked example
You see a yellow diamond showing a right curve, with a yellow "35 MPH" plaque below it. The diamond warns of the curve; the plaque advises 35 mph through it. If the road's general speed limit is 55 mph, you should slow to about 35 mph before entering the curve, especially in rain. The plaque does not make 35 mph the legal limit for the entire road.
Traps
A warning sign does not by itself require a stop. A curve sign is not a speed limit sign. Do not ignore a warning because you know the road; hazards can be hidden by hills, crops, or parked vehicles. Also, a yellow "Signal Ahead" sign does not mean the light is green for you.