Traffic Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
Reading the Road's Three Languages
Signs, signals, and pavement markings each communicate something different, and permit questions often test whether you can tell them apart. Signs are classified by shape and color: octagons mean stop (the only octagon on the road), inverted triangles mean yield, diamonds warn of hazards ahead, pennants (triangles pointing right) mark no-passing zones, and round signs indicate railroad crossings. Color carries meaning too - red for prohibition/stop, yellow for warnings, fluorescent yellow-green for school and pedestrian areas, orange for construction, and blue or green for services and guide information.
Signals control traffic flow in time: solid red means stop and remain stopped; a steady yellow means the light is changing and you should stop if you can do so safely; a green arrow grants a protected turn. A flashing red is treated exactly like a stop sign; a flashing yellow means proceed with caution. A dark or non-functioning signal should be treated as an all-way stop.
Pavement markings are the most commonly missed topic. Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate traffic moving the same direction. A solid line means do not cross; a broken line means you may cross when safe. Two solid yellow lines mean no passing in either direction, though you may cross to turn into or out of a driveway. A shared center left-turn lane is marked by two lines with arrows pointing inward.
Trap to watch: questions asking whether you may cross a double yellow line to make a left turn - the answer is yes, into a driveway or side road, when safe.
Rule of thumb: yellow = opposite directions, white = same direction, solid = stay, broken = cross.