Guide and Informational Signs
Guide and informational signs help you navigate, find services, and understand the road system. The exam tests color coding, destination and exit sign reading, and the distinction between guidance and regulation.
Core rules
- Green signs with white letters give directions: destinations, distances, exit numbers, route names, and lane guidance. Interstate, U.S., and state route shields are guide signs.
- Blue signs identify motorist services: gas, food, lodging, hospital, rest area, and phone.
- Brown signs mark recreation and cultural attractions: parks, campgrounds, historic sites, and scenic areas.
- Exit signs carry an exit number plaque; "EXIT ONLY" means that lane must exit, while a diagonal arrow means the lane may continue or exit.
- White-on-black or black-on-white signs give specific information such as weight limits, load restrictions, or "BEGIN" and "END" of a route.
- Changeable message signs convey real-time information and are treated as official instructions when they direct traffic.
Worked example
Driving on an Interstate, you see a green sign reading "EXIT 24 - Main St 1 MILE" and, in the right lane, a yellow "EXIT ONLY" panel. The green sign is advance guidance; the yellow panel is a lane-use warning. If you want Exit 24, move into the exit-only lane before the solid white line, because after the gore area you cannot legally cross back.
Traps
- Confusing blue service signs with brown recreation signs; a campground is brown, a motel is blue.
- Treating an exit-only lane as optional.
- Missing that a route shield identifies the road you are on, not a destination.
- Ignoring changeable message signs because they are "temporary."