Guide and Informational Signs
Guide and Informational Signs help you navigate, choose a route, find services, and locate your position. The Montana exam tests the color code for guide signs, the meaning of route markers and mile markers, and the difference between a guide sign and a sign that gives an order.
Core rules
- Green guide signs give destinations, directions, distances, and exit information. White letters on green are standard on major highways.
- Blue signs show motorist services: gas, food, lodging, camping, hospital, and phone. A blue sign at an exit tells you what is available there, not that you must exit.
- Brown signs identify recreation and cultural areas, such as parks, fishing access, museums, and historic sites.
- Interstate route markers are the red, white, and blue shield. U.S. routes use a white shield, and Montana state routes use their own marker. The number identifies the route, not the speed or lane.
- Mile markers are small green or white signs with numbers. In Montana, interstate exit numbers generally match the milepost, so exit 193 is near mile 193. Mile markers help you report your location in an emergency.
- A guide sign may include an arrow, exit number, or distance. Read the whole sign: 'EXIT 42, 1 MILE' means the exit is one mile ahead, not that you are at exit 42.
Worked example
You see a green sign reading 'Great Falls 48, Helena 92' and a blue sign showing gas, food, and lodging at Exit 193. Reasoning: the green sign gives destinations and distances in miles; the blue sign lists services at the upcoming exit. If your fuel is low, plan to exit at 193, signal early, and move into the exit lane. The distances are not speed limits and do not mean the cities are 48 and 92 minutes away.
Traps
Do not confuse brown recreation signs with yellow warning signs; brown does not warn of a road hazard. Do not treat a blue service sign as a command to stop. Do not assume exit numbers are sequential; in Montana they are generally mile-based. Do not ignore 'LAST EXIT' or 'NO SERVICES' plaques.