Road Signs, Markings and Signals
This domain tests whether you can read the road in the correct order of authority and act on the first lawful instruction. Questions often combine a sign, a lane marking and a police or light signal in one scene, so you must decide which instruction controls.
Order of authority
When instructions conflict, apply this hierarchy: police or traffic officer first, then temporary signals or roadworks signs, then permanent traffic lights, then signs, then markings. A marking never cancels a sign; it supplements it.
Reading signs by form
Red-bordered circles prohibit (no entry, speed limit); blue circles mandate (turn right, minimum speed); triangles warn; rectangles inform or direct. The octagon means stop; the inverted triangle means yield. Supplementary plates give distance, vehicle type or time.
Markings and signals
Solid white lines restrict crossing; broken lines permit crossing when safe; double solid lines prohibit crossing from either side; yellow markings usually indicate temporary works. A zebra crossing gives pedestrians priority once they step onto it. Traffic lights: red means stop, red plus amber means prepare, green means go only if the exit is clear, amber means stop unless stopping is unsafe.
Worked example
A driver sees a 50 km/h sign beside a lane marking that appears to suggest 60. The sign governs because signs outrank markings. If an officer waves traffic through a red light, the officer’s signal governs because human control outranks all fixed devices. Reasoning: authority runs from human control down to painted lines.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing no stopping with no parking; treating a yield sign as a stop sign; missing that temporary yellow lines override permanent white lines; assuming a green light always means proceed even when the junction is blocked.
Key points
- Police signals override all signs, lights and markings.
- Temporary signs and roadworks markings override permanent ones.
- Shape and colour identify a sign’s purpose before you read its text.
- A green light does not authorise entering a blocked junction.