Warning Signs
Warning Signs
Warning signs alert you to hazards ahead so you can adjust speed and position before the hazard, not after. The exam tests shape and color recognition, the meaning of common symbols, advisory speeds, and the correct driver response. In North Carolina, warning signs are normally yellow diamonds with black symbols; school and pedestrian warning signs may be fluorescent yellow-green, and work-zone warnings are orange. A yellow pennant marks a no-passing zone, and a round yellow sign with an X and RR marks a railroad advance warning.
Core rules
- Warning signs do not grant permission or set a legal speed limit; they tell you a condition exists. Slow down and increase following distance as needed.
- Common symbols include curves, sharp turns, hills, deer crossing, slippery when wet, narrow bridge, lane merge, two-way traffic, stop ahead, yield ahead, and signal ahead.
- An advisory speed plaque below a warning sign, such as 35 MPH, is the recommended safe speed for the condition. It is not a posted regulatory limit, but driving faster can be unsafe and may be used against you if you lose control.
- Warning signs are placed in advance. The distance plaque or sign placement tells you how soon the condition begins; act before you reach it.
- A NO PASSING ZONE pennant marks the start of a passing prohibition. Do not begin or continue a pass after you pass it.
Worked example
You are on a 55 mph road and see a yellow diamond showing a curve with a 35 MPH plaque. The sign warns of a curve ahead; 35 is the advisory speed for the curve, not a new general speed limit. You should slow to about 35 before entering the curve, stay in your lane, and avoid braking hard in the curve. If you wait until you are in the curve, you have waited too long.
Traps that cost marks
Do not treat an advisory speed as optional if conditions are bad-it is a strong safety guide. Do not confuse STOP AHEAD with a stop sign: the actual stop is at the intersection. Do not assume a warning sign means the hazard is immediately at the sign; it is usually ahead. And do not ignore a no-passing pennant because it is yellow rather than white-it still marks a legal no-passing zone.