Road Signs
The complete US road signs guide
Every shape, every color, every category. About one in three DMV permit-test questions is a road-sign question — learn them once and you'll never lose those points.
Regulatory signs
Stop, yield, do not enter, no parking, speed limit. White rectangles and red octagons telling you what you must or must not do.
View regulatory signs →Warning signs
Yellow diamonds that warn of hazards: curves, hills, animal crossings, divided highways, and merging traffic ahead.
View warning signs →Guide and information signs
Green highway exits, blue services signs, and brown recreation/cultural signs. They orient you, not restrict you.
View guide signs →Construction signs
Orange diamonds and rectangles for work zones. Fines double in posted construction zones in most states.
View construction signs →School zone signs
Fluorescent yellow-green pentagons marking school zones, crossings, and bus stops. Reduced speed limits apply.
View school signs →Railroad crossing signs
Round yellow advance warning, X-shaped crossbucks, and the rules for stopping at active and passive crossings.
View railroad signs →Read a sign in two seconds: shape and color
Every US road sign communicates its general meaning before you can read a single word, through its shape and color. Memorize the shape/color rules and you can react safely even at highway speeds, in fog, or when the legend is partially obscured.
Shape tells you what the sign is for
- Octagon (eight-sided) — used only for STOP. Come to a complete stop behind the painted line.
- Equilateral triangle pointing down — used only for YIELD. Slow down and let cross-traffic and pedestrians clear before proceeding.
- Diamond — warning. Something is changing in the roadway ahead.
- Pentagon (point up) — school zone or school crossing.
- Round — railroad crossing advance warning.
- Pennant (horizontal triangle) — no-passing zone, posted on the left side of the road.
- Vertical rectangle — regulatory (must obey: speed limit, no parking, one-way).
- Horizontal rectangle — guide or information (route markers, services, distance).
- Crossbuck (X) — railroad crossing — yield to trains.
Color tells you what kind of message
- Red — STOP, YIELD, prohibition, wrong way.
- Yellow — general warning.
- Fluorescent yellow-green — pedestrian, bicycle, school zone warning.
- Orange — temporary construction or maintenance.
- White background with black text — regulatory.
- Green — guidance and direction (exits, distances, mileposts).
- Blue — motorist services (gas, food, lodging, hospitals, rest areas).
- Brown — recreational and cultural points of interest.
- Black — regulatory (some one-way and weight-limit signs).
A few signs you'll definitely see on the test
STOP
Come to a complete stop at the painted line. Yield to all cross-traffic and pedestrians before proceeding.
View sign →Yield
Slow down and let cross-traffic and pedestrians clear. Stop only if necessary.
View sign →Do Not Enter
You are facing the wrong way on a one-way road or ramp. Do not enter under any circumstances.
View sign →Wrong Way
You are driving against traffic. Pull over safely, turn around, and re-enter in the correct direction.
View sign →One Way
Traffic on this street moves only in the direction of the arrow.
View sign →No Parking
You may not park here at the times shown. Stopping briefly to load passengers may still be allowed.
View sign →No U-Turn
You may not make a U-turn at this intersection or anywhere this sign is posted.
View sign →Speed Limit
The maximum legal speed under ideal driving conditions.
View sign →Minimum Speed
You may not drive slower than the speed shown unless conditions require it.
View sign →Keep Right
Pass on the right side of the divider, sign, or obstruction ahead.
View sign →No Left Turn
Left turns are prohibited at this intersection.
View sign →No Right Turn
Right turns are prohibited at this intersection.
View sign →