Warning Signs: Conditions Ahead
Warning signs alert you to hazards or changes ahead so you can adjust speed and position. Maryland uses the standard yellow diamond with black symbols for most warnings. Pedestrian and school warnings may use fluorescent yellow-green. Warning signs do not themselves set a legal speed or create a prohibition; they tell you what to expect.
Core rules
- Curve and turn signs show the direction of the bend. A reverse curve or winding road sign warns of more than one bend.
- Intersection signs warn of cross traffic, side roads, or a T intersection. Lane-merge signs show which lane ends or merges.
- Slippery-when-wet, deer-crossing, hill, and narrow-bridge signs warn of conditions that may require lower speed or extra following distance.
- A yellow advisory speed plaque, such as 35 MPH under a curve sign, is a recommended maximum for comfortable control in good conditions. It is not the legal speed limit.
- Distance plaques, such as NEXT 2 MILES, tell how far the condition continues. They do not change the meaning of the symbol.
- Warning signs are often placed in advance of the hazard, so the hazard may not be visible when you first see the sign.
Worked example
You see a yellow diamond showing a right curve with a 35 MPH plaque beneath it. The posted regulatory speed may still be 50 mph. The 35 plaque means 35 mph is the recommended safe speed for the curve in good conditions. In rain, at night, or with a heavy load, you should go slower. The plaque does not make 35 the legal limit, but ignoring it can still support a careless-driving charge if conditions make the curve unsafe.
Traps that cost marks
The most common error is treating an advisory speed plaque as a regulatory speed limit. Another is assuming a warning sign means the hazard is immediately at the sign; advance placement is normal. Do not ignore fluorescent yellow-green: it is used for pedestrian and school warnings, not for ordinary curve warnings.
Key points
- Yellow diamond with black symbol: warning of a condition ahead.
- Warning signs do not set legal speed limits or prohibitions.
- Advisory speed plaques recommend a safe speed, not a legal maximum.
- Fluorescent yellow-green warns of pedestrian or school activity.
- Distance plaques show how far a condition continues.
- Hazard may be beyond the sign, so slow before you reach it.