School Zone and Pedestrian Signs
School zone and pedestrian signs protect people on foot, especially children. Maryland uses a fluorescent yellow-green pentagon for school signs and fluorescent yellow-green diamonds for pedestrian crossings. The test often asks whether a sign is a warning or a speed regulation, and when a school speed limit applies.
Core rules
- A pentagon-shaped fluorescent yellow-green sign warns of a school zone or school crossing ahead. It does not by itself set a speed limit.
- A school speed limit is set by a separate posted plaque or sign, often with times or flashing beacons. Obey the lower limit when the plaque's conditions apply, such as when beacons flash or during stated hours.
- Crosswalk warning signs alert drivers to a marked crossing. Maryland law requires drivers to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
- Do not pass another vehicle stopped at a crosswalk; it may be yielding to a pedestrian you cannot see.
- Pedestrian signals at intersections control pedestrians, but drivers must still yield when turning across a crosswalk.
- Watch for crossing guards. Their signals and instructions control traffic at the crossing.
Worked example
A fluorescent yellow-green school sign appears with a plaque reading SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT 20 WHEN FLASHING. The beacon is flashing at 7:30 a.m. You must slow to 20 mph, even if you see no children at that instant. If the beacon is off and no time condition applies, the normal posted speed limit controls, but you must still watch for children and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Traps that cost marks
Do not assume the school sign itself is the speed limit; look for the plaque or beacon. Do not treat a school zone as active only during a narrow bell time if the sign gives broader hours. Do not pass a stopped vehicle at a crosswalk. Also do not confuse a pedestrian crossing warning with a stop sign: the warning tells you to be ready, while the law requires yielding or stopping for a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
Key points
- Pentagon fluorescent yellow-green sign: school warning.
- School speed limits come from a plaque or sign, often tied to flashing beacons or times.
- Stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
- Never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk.
- Obey crossing guards.
- A school warning sign alone does not set a numeric speed limit.