Guide Signs and Route Markers
Guide signs tell you where you are and how to reach a destination; they do not usually command an action. Minnesota's exam tests route-marker recognition and the meaning of destination, exit, and service signs.
Core rules
- Destination and distance signs are green with white legends; they list cities, exits, and mileages.
- The Interstate marker is a red, white, and blue shield; the U.S. route marker is a white shield with black outline and numerals; Minnesota state highway markers are white shields with black legends.
- County route markers are blue pentagons; blue signs indicate motorist services such as gas, food, and lodging; brown signs indicate recreation and cultural sites.
- Exit signs may include an exit number, destination, and an EXIT ONLY panel; the panel means that lane leaves the highway.
- Mile markers help you report your location in an emergency and confirm distance.
Worked example
You are driving east and see a red, white, and blue shield reading 94 with an EAST banner. This is an Interstate route marker, not a state highway marker. If you are looking for a Minnesota state highway, you need the white shield with black numerals. The color and shape identify the route system before you read the number.
Traps
- Treating a green guide sign as a regulatory command; it directs, it does not prohibit.
- Confusing the Interstate shield with the U.S. shield under poor light.
- Staying in an EXIT ONLY lane and then trying to continue straight.
- Using a blue service sign as a guarantee that the service is open.