Road signs, signals and road markings
This domain tests how well you read the three channels of authority on a Malian road: sign shape and colour, traffic-light or officer signals, and painted markings. Mali drives on the right and uses a French-derived sign set, so most regulatory signs are understood by shape before you read any text.
Sign families
- Red-bordered triangle: warning of danger ahead.
- Red-bordered circle: prohibition or restriction.
- Blue circle: mandatory instruction.
- Rectangle or square: information, direction or service.
- Octagon: STOP; inverted triangle: give way.
Signals and markings
Traffic lights: red means stop at the line; amber means stop unless you are too close to stop safely; green means proceed only if the junction is clear. A police officer's signals override lights and signs. Flashing amber means proceed with caution. A continuous white line must not be crossed; a broken line may be crossed to overtake when safe. Zebra stripes are pedestrian crossings: approach slowly and give way to anyone on them.
Worked example
You see a red-bordered triangle containing children, then a circular 30 sign. Reasoning: the triangle warns of a school or play area ahead, so lift off the accelerator and scan both sides; the circle is a mandatory 30 km/h limit, not a warning. You slow before the hazard, not at it.
Traps
Confusing no-entry (red circle, white horizontal bar) with a general prohibition; treating amber as an extension of green; ignoring lane arrows; assuming a sign does not apply because no police are present.