Guide and Informational Signs
Guide and informational signs help you navigate, choose a lane, find services, and identify routes. They are not usually commands, but misreading them causes missed exits and illegal last-second lane changes, so the exam tests color, shape, and arrow interpretation.
Core rules
- Green signs with white lettering give destination, distance, exit, and route guidance on expressways and major roads.
- Blue signs show motorist services: fuel, food, lodging, hospital, and rest areas.
- Brown signs show recreational, cultural, and historical attractions.
- White-and-black signs are often local guide or regulatory information; color alone does not always tell you which.
- Interstate route markers use the red-and-blue shield; the number and direction matter.
- Exit signs often include an exit number and a distance; overhead arrows tell you which lane serves the exit.
Worked example
An overhead green sign reads EXIT 62 - 1/2 MILE with a downward arrow over the right lane. The sign is a guide sign, so it is telling you where the exit is and which lane to use; it is not itself a command to exit. You should signal and move into the right lane when safe, well before the exit gore, then follow the exit ramp. If you are already in the correct lane, stay there and do not drift back left.
Traps
Blue service signs do not grant permission to stop in a travel lane, and brown recreation signs are not warnings. A common error is reading an overhead arrow as applying to all lanes; the arrow usually points to the lane beneath it. Another is waiting until the exit gore to cross multiple lanes - the guide sign gave you distance for a reason.