Traffic Signs – Standard Shapes and Colors
There are eight shapes and eight colors of traffic signs. Each shape and each color has an exact meaning. As a responsible driver, it is important that you acquaint yourself with all of them
Green. Directional information.
Red. Stop, do not enter or wrong way.
Blue. Motorist services guidance. Also used to identify parking spaces for disabled drivers.
Orange. Construction and maintenance warning.
Brown. Public recreation areas and scenic guidance.
Yellow. General warning.
Black/White. Regulatory.
Octagon. Exclusively for stop signs.
Horizontal Rectangle. Generally for guide signs.
Triangle. Exclusively for yield.
Diamond. Exclusively to warn of existing or possible hazards on roadways or adjacent areas.
Pennant. Advance warning.
Vertical Rectangle. Generally for regulatory signs.
Pentagon. School advance and school crossing signs.
Round. Railroad advance warning sign.
Crossbuck. Railroad crossing.
Regulatory Signs
Regulatory signs tell you what you can or cannot do at certain times and places. They direct traffic to stop, yield, or go in a particular direction. They also control parking and passing, and restrict pedestrians and drivers from doing certain things. Obey regulatory signs wherever you see them. The next time you feel like ignoring a STOP sign in the parking lot of a shopping mall, theme park, or stadium, keep in mind that signs posted on private property may be just as enforceable as signs on the public roadway.
Regulatory signs come in a variety of shapes and colors.
Other regulatory signs are white squares or rectangles with black letters, words or symbols. In general, these signs tell you what to do or set limits on what you can do. Red is reserved exclusively for STOP, YIELD, WRONG WAY, and DO NOT ENTER signs and to prohibit certain movements. Some square-shaped signs have a black symbol – for example, a U-TURN or “P” for parking – inside a red circle crossed by a diagonal red slash. This type of sign indicates that the action or vehicle shown is not permitted on the roadway.
The STOP sign is the only octagonal (eight sided) sign on the road. A stop sign means that you must bring your vehicle to a complete halt at the marked stop line. If there is no marked stop line, stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection. If there is no crosswalk, stop at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where you have a clear view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection. If there is no STOP sign but there is a marked STOP line, you MUST come to a complete stop before continuing in your intended direction.
The YIELD sign is the only sign in the shape of a downward pointing triangle. Slow down and give vehicles crossing your path the right-of-way. If the way is clear, you may move forward slowly without stopping. Yield signs are usually placed where auxiliary roads lead into major roads. Both of these signs usually appear at intersections of all types.
Pennant-shaped warning signsindicate no-passing zones. Because your view of the right side of the road is partially blocked while trying to pass another vehicle, they are normally posted on the left side of a two-way road. Sometimes black-and-white rectangular DO NOT PASS signs are also posted on the right side of the road as an extra warning.
Diamond. Warning. Narrow bridge. These signs warn you of special conditions or or dangers ahead. Words or symbols on the sign will show why you need to use caution.
Pentagon – School Sign. This five-sided sign means you are near a school. Watch for children. School zone signs are the only signs that have five sides (a pentagon shape). These signs are yellow or yellow-green. One type shows a pair of children and is posted about a block from the school, indicating the beginning of the school zone.
School Crossing. A school zone sign showing children in a crosswalk alerts you to an intersection that either is within a school zone or is one used by schoolchildren. In addition to these signs, school zones may include various regulatory signs, roadway markings, warning signals and crossing guards. As you approach this sign, slow down, watch for children crossing the road. Stop if necessary. Obey signals from any crossing guards.
Children Crossing Slow to posted speed. Watch for children.
Reality Check – Sign Vandalism
On a clear night in February, 2010, an 8-ton truck hit a white Camaro at a rural intersection in northern Florida, instantly killing the three teenagers inside. the STOP sign at the intersection had been pulled from the ground and lay face down by the side of the road. Just days earlier, three young friends heading home from a shopping trip had removed several road signs in the area “for the fun of it”, piling them in the back of their pickup. although they claimed not to have removed the STOP sign at the site of the fatal crash, the trio was arrested and convicted of manslaughter the following year. Although you may think its fun to knock down signs or have a road sign on your bedroom wall, sign vandalism is a crime, not a prank. As the mother of one of the victims said, “Pranks don’t kill.”
Parking, standing and loading zone signs are rectangular in shape with black, green, red or blue colors on a white background. Green letters usually indicate a time restriction, for example, parking is allowed only for 2 hours. Parking, standing or loading is either not allowed at all or prohibited at certain times or on certain days if the letters are red.
Blue letters usually mean the area is for use by disabled persons only. Parking signs for the disabled often display the symbol of a person in a wheelchair and include blue-painted curbs or pavement markings. Parking spots for the disabled are located closer to building entrances than are other parking spots. If you illegally park in a space reserved for the disabled you will pay a very large fine and chances are that your car will be towed. More importantly, you will be taking up a space that a disabled person needs much more than you do.