Guide and Informational Signs: Route Markers, Services, and Destinations
What this domain tests
Guide and informational signs help you navigate and find services. The exam asks you to separate destination information from regulatory commands and to recognize Massachusetts route markers.
Core rules
- Green guide signs give destinations, distances, exits, and directions.
- Blue signs identify motorist services such as gas, food, lodging, and hospitals.
- Brown signs identify recreation and cultural areas.
- Route markers identify the road: interstate shields, U.S. route shields, and the Massachusetts state route marker, a white square with black legend and MASS.
- Mile markers and exit numbers help you confirm location; they do not set speed or right of way.
- Service signs may list an exit number and a symbol; they are information, not a command to stop.
Worked example
A green overhead sign reads EXIT 12, Springfield, 1 MILE. It is a guide sign: it tells you the exit number, destination, and distance. It does not authorize a lane change or set a speed. You still must obey the white regulatory signs and pavement markings controlling the exit.
Traps that cost marks
Do not confuse blue service signs with brown recreation signs. Do not treat a route marker as a regulatory sign. Do not assume a destination sign means the road ahead is clear. Do not ignore exit-only markings because the green sign mentions your destination.