Working out what a road sign means
There are many signs that you will see day in day out as a driver and are obvious to understand. For instance signs that tell you the maximum speed limit on the road you're on. For some reason, the no entry sign seems to be the one that is most recognisable for everyone.
However there are other signs that you won't know as you have never come across them, and some that you do know what they mean but forget.
But there are rules that can help you work out what a sign means, and this is particularly useful if you come across a sign in a theory test and have whittled it down to a couple of options but aren't sure. Sometimes knowing the rules outlined below can help you work out what the sign means:
First of all, if the sign is in a CIRCLE then this means that it is giving orders.
If the sign is in a TRIANGLE then it is giving a warning.
If the sign is in a RECTANGLE, it is giving information.
This simple knowledge can help you work out what a sign means. Now, within the above descriptions there are also colours that act as clues, and by combining the two you will have a good chance of working out what a sign means.
BLUE circles tell you things that you must do, whilst red rings tell you things that you must NOT do.
Blue rectangles give general information, green ones tell you route directions on primary roads, white with black borders give route directions on non-primary roads.
Related Articles...
Your ignition warning light
When you turn on the electrical circuits in your car, then the ignition warning light will come on: make sure that this does indeed happen.
Once the engine itself is started, then the ignition...
Road Tax Disc Explained
You might hear to this referred as to something called excise licence, but in common parlance (speech!) this is called road tax.
And you will have a circular piece of paper that comes to show...
When to use hazard warning lamps
Hazard warning lamps, are by their nature, lamps that you should not use routinely. However it is important to know when is the correct time to use them, and how to switch them on.
They are...
What a slippery road surface sign could mean
The problem with a slippery road surface sign is this: whilst you know what it means, you don't know what it means. If that sounds confusing, then the point is simply this - what is it that is...
Using emergency telephones
There are emergency telephones along motorways. There are telephones that occur roughly once per mile along the motorway which are connected to the emergency services.
There are also blue and...
Risk factors when driving: snow and ice
When the snow is falling, there is one big problem - it is hard to see far infront. So like fog, reduced visibility is the problem with snow. And when there is heavy snowfall it can be very hard...
More on Motorway Driving
Signs that let you know there is a motorway ahead are rectangular, and they have a green background. This shows that they are information signs on a primary road.
The part with the reference...
Selecting low gears when driving
When you are driving, you will just learn to change gears without really thinking about what you are doing and when. But generally you will change up gears the faster you are going, and this is...
Road conditions: driving in rain
Driving in rain is something that you can be sure you will experience regularly once you are an actual driver, although depending where you live and the time of year you learnt, you might have...
Your driving licence: getting it back
As the New Drivers Act article outlines, if you get six penalty points or more in the first two years of having a licence, then it is revoked and you have to retake both tests: the theory and the...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
