2.2 Warning Signs in the Ninth Schedule

A warning sign tells you that a hazard is ahead and gives you time to deal with it. In Barbados, warning signs are triangles with the point upward and a red border, drawn in the Ninth Schedule to the Road Traffic Regulations, 1984. The schedule also contains a few rectangular text warnings.

A warning is not an order, but ignoring it can still make your driving careless or dangerous. The correct response is almost always the same routine: mirrors, then speed, then position. Check behind, slow down early and smoothly, and place the car where it is safest for the hazard.

Junction warnings

Road-layout warnings

• Bend and double bend: slow down before the bend, when the car is upright and straight, and keep well to the left. The double-bend arrow shows which way the road turns first.
• Frequent bends: a series of bends, often on hilly roads. Keep your speed down for the whole stretch.
• Road narrows (both sides) and road narrows one side: the carriageway gets narrower. Check mirrors and be ready to let oncoming traffic through.
• Dual carriageway ends: the central reservation ends and you will soon meet oncoming traffic on the same carriageway. Finish any overtaking and move back into the left-hand lane.
• Two-way traffic: after a one-way section, traffic will now come towards you.
• Two-way traffic across a one-way carriageway: you are about to cross a road on which traffic flows in both directions.

Hazards from people, places and the sky

• Children: a school, playground or place where children cross. Expect them to run out without looking.
• Pedestrian crossing ahead: a crossing is beyond a bend or crest. Be ready to stop for pedestrians on it (see 4.2).
• Traffic signals ahead: lights you may not yet be able to see. Be ready for red.
• Quayside or river bank: the road runs beside unprotected water. Drive slowly, especially at night and in rain.
• Height limit: low headroom ahead, such as a bridge. Know the height of your vehicle and load.
• Low-flying aircraft or sudden aircraft noise: roads near an airfield, where a sudden jet can startle drivers and animals. Do not stop on the road to watch aircraft.
• Other danger: a general hazard, usually with a plate below describing it, such as "Accident" or "Road liable to flooding."

Text warnings in the schedule

"REDUCE SPEED NOW" is a direct warning to slow down at once, usually before a hazard such as a sharp bend, a junction or a roundabout.

"PEDESTRIANS LOOK LEFT" is addressed to people on foot. Because Barbados traffic drives on the left, a pedestrian crossing a normal two-way road meets the nearest traffic from the right. Where traffic will come from the left, for example on a one-way street, the sign warns pedestrians to look left. As a driver, expect pedestrians there to misjudge where traffic is coming from.

Using warning signs well

1. React at the sign, not at the hazard. Signs are placed far enough ahead to let you slow down gently.
2. Do not overtake where a warning shows a bend, a junction, a crest, a crossing or narrowing. Regulation 31(6) bans overtaking at corners, at intersections and forks, and over the brow of a hill or a humpbacked bridge.
3. Look for the plate. Distances and descriptions under a triangle tell you when and what to expect.
4. Think about other road users. Children, cyclists, animals and pedestrians are often the reason a warning sign is there.

Common exam traps

• "Triangle with the point upward" vs "inverted triangle." The upward triangle warns. The inverted triangle is GIVE WAY, or an advance warning of STOP when a "STOP" plate is attached.
• "A warning sign is only advice." It is not an order, but driving too fast for the hazard it marks can still be careless driving under s.83 of the Act.
• Speed after the hazard. A warning sign does not raise or lower the speed limit. The limit stays the same until a speed-limit sign changes it, but you should still drive below it if the hazard demands.