Road Traffic Signs and Signals
Why signs matter
Road signs in Lesotho follow the international shape-and-colour system also used across southern Africa, so a candidate who learns the logic of the system can read unfamiliar signs. Triangles warn, circles command (red rings prohibit, blue circles instruct), rectangles inform, and octagons stop. Get the shape wrong in a question and you have probably got the answer wrong.
Core groups
- Regulatory signs: stop, yield (give way), no entry, speed limits, no overtaking, weight and height limits. These carry legal force; disobeying them is an offence, not just bad manners.
- Warning signs: bends, steep descents, slippery road, pedestrians, animals, school children, railway crossings, T-junctions. They tell you to adjust speed and attention, not to stop.
- Information signs: place names, distances, hospital, fuel, parking, route markers.
- Traffic signals and officer signals: a police officer's signals override lights and signs. Flashing amber means proceed with caution; a steady red means stop behind the line.
Traps candidates fall for
- Confusing yield with stop - yield requires slowing and giving way, stopping only if necessary.
- Treating a warning triangle as a prohibition.
- Forgetting that temporary signs (roadworks) override permanent ones.
- Missing that a red circle with a number is a maximum, never a minimum speed.
Rule of thumb
Ask three questions in order: What shape? What colour? What symbol? Shape gives the category, colour gives the force, symbol gives the specific instruction.
Worked example: A red-bordered triangle showing a car skidding. Triangle = warning, symbol = slippery surface. Correct response: reduce speed and avoid sudden braking or steering - not "no vehicles allowed".