2.1 Sign Colors, Shapes & Regulatory Signs
Key Takeaways
The octagon always means stop, the downward-pointing triangle means yield, the pennant marks the start of a no-passing zone, and the pentagon marks school zones and crossings.
Fluorescent yellow-green is used for school, pedestrian and bicycle signs, and fluorescent pink for emergency traffic incidents.
At a stop sign, stop at the stop line; if there is none, stop before the crosswalk; if there is neither, stop before entering the intersection.
Only a police officer or other emergency personnel, or a uniformed school crossing guard near a school, can direct you to do something different from a traffic control device.
You may not drive across private property or leave the road to avoid obeying a traffic control device.
Traffic Control Devices Are the Law
The manual defines traffic control devices as traffic signals, signs and pavement markings that regulate, warn and guide traffic. Failing to obey them is a major cause of crashes. You must obey them unless you are directed otherwise by:
- A police officer or other emergency personnel, or
- A school crossing guard in uniform directing traffic near a school.
At an intersection you may not drive across private property or leave the road, such as cutting through a gas station lot, to avoid a sign or signal.
Colors: Read the Message Before the Words
| Background color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red | Stop, yield, do not enter, or wrong way |
| Yellow | General warning of what to expect ahead |
| White | Speed limit, keep right, and some guide signs (regulatory messages) |
| Orange | Construction and maintenance work-area warning |
| Green | Destinations, distances and directions |
| Blue | Services such as food, gas and rest areas |
| Brown | Recreation and cultural interest areas |
| Fluorescent yellow-green | School, pedestrian and bicycle signs |
| Fluorescent pink | Emergency traffic incidents |
| Black | One Way signs and changeable-message signs |
Shapes: Recognize the Sign From Behind or in Snow
| Shape | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Octagon (8 sides) | Stop; the stop sign is the only 8-sided sign |
| Triangle, point down | Yield; the yield sign is the only sign with this shape |
| Diamond | Warning of special conditions or hazards ahead |
| Pennant | Start of a no-passing zone, posted on the left side of the road |
| Vertical rectangle | Usually regulatory instructions (rules of the road) |
| Horizontal rectangle | Usually directions or information (guide signs) |
| Pentagon (5 sides) | School zone and school crossing |
| Round | Railroad advance warning |
| Crossbuck (X) | Location of a highway-rail grade crossing |
| Trapezoid | Recreation and cultural interest areas, and National Forest routes |
Regulatory Signs You Must Obey
STOP: Where Exactly to Stop
When you come to a stop sign you must make a complete stop:
- At the stop line, a wide white line across the lane.
- If there is no stop line, before entering the crosswalk.
- If there is no stop line or crosswalk, before entering the intersection.
Then yield to vehicles and pedestrians in the intersection and remain stopped until it is safe to enter and continue. A rolling stop is not a stop.
YIELD
Slow down as you approach, look left and right, and yield to pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles. Proceed only when you can do so safely, and stop if necessary.
Speed Limit Signs
A black-on-white rectangular sign shows the maximum speed for that part of the road under ideal conditions. You may legally drive slower when conditions require it (see Section 3.3).
Other Regulatory Signs in the Manual
- Turn controls: No Right Turn, No Left Turn, No U-Turn, No Turns, Left Turn Only, and No Turn on Red.
- Direction and entry: Do Not Enter, Wrong Way and One Way (traffic may go only in the direction of the arrow).
- Lane and passing rules: Do Not Pass; Stay to the Right of Median; Left Turn Yield on Green, which means a left turn on a green ball must wait for a gap in oncoming traffic; Two-Way Left Turn, a center lane either direction may use to turn left; and Bike Lane.
- Use restrictions: No Parking; Reserved for People with Disability Parking Permits; and High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV), which you may use only if your vehicle has the number of people shown on the sign.
- Stay right: where you see "stay right" signs, drive in the right lane or lanes unless you are passing.
Wrong Way and Do Not Enter
These red-and-white signs appear at one-way streets and highway exit ramps. If you see them facing you, you are entering against traffic. Do not go any farther; stop safely, turn around when it is safe, or leave the road the way you came.
Applying the Rules
Scenario: A police officer at a broken signal waves you through a STOP-controlled intersection. Follow the officer; an officer's direction overrides the device. Scenario: Traffic backs up at a red light, so another driver cuts across a corner gas station to turn right. That driver has broken the law, because leaving the road to avoid a traffic control device is prohibited.
Memory Aids
- Eight sides = halt. No other sign uses the octagon.
- Pink = incident. Fluorescent pink signs appear at crash scenes and other emergency traffic incidents, and they mean expect stopped traffic and responders ahead.
- Pennant on the left. Drivers who are about to pass look left, so the no-passing pennant is placed there.
What does a fluorescent pink sign indicate on a Maryland road?
A school zone with reduced speed limits
An emergency traffic incident ahead
A recreation or cultural interest area
A toll plaza with cash lanes
You reach a stop sign where there is no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?
Before entering the intersection
Beside the stop sign post, even if your view is blocked
After the front bumper enters the intersection, so you can see
Nowhere, if no cross traffic is visible
Which sign shape does the manual use for recreation and cultural interest areas and National Forest routes?
Pennant
Pentagon
Trapezoid
Diamond
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.