Regulatory Signs
Regulatory Signs
Regulatory signs tell you what you must do or must not do; breaking one is a citable violation, not a suggestion. The exam tests them as recognition items ("what does this sign mean?") and applied items ("may you turn here?" or "who has the right of way?").
The rules
- White rectangles carry black legends and set rules: SPEED LIMIT, KEEP RIGHT, NO TURN ON RED, ONE WAY (black arrow on white).
- Red marks a prohibition or a required stop: the octagonal STOP, the inverted-triangle YIELD, the red circle with a white horizontal bar for DO NOT ENTER, and the red rectangle reading WRONG WAY.
- Movement controls - NO U-TURN, NO LEFT TURN, mandatory turn arrows, lane-use signs - apply to the lane or intersection where they are posted and end at the next intersection unless a sign says otherwise.
- A white speed limit sign states the legal maximum; a yellow advisory plaque under a warning sign is a recommended speed, not a limit.
- YIELD means slow and give way; a full stop is required only when traffic or safety demands it.
Worked example
A white rectangular sign reads "NO TURN ON RED." You are stopped at a red light, the cross street is empty, and you want to turn right. The sign is a regulatory prohibition, so the empty road changes nothing: wait for the green.
Traps
Treating YIELD as a mandatory full stop even when the way is clear; reading an advisory speed as a legal maximum; and assuming DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY are interchangeable - DO NOT ENTER faces traffic approaching a one-way exit, while WRONG WAY is mounted on the ramp itself, facing a driver already going the wrong direction.