Road signs fall into 3 categories. Circular signs give orders, triangular signs warn us of potential hazards and rectangular signs give us information.
Click on the sections below to see examples of the road signs and have a go at our exercise to test your knowledge.
Mandatory signs are usually circular with a blue background. These signs tell you what you MUST do.
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Mini-Roundabout |  |
Path is shared between Cyclists and Pedestrians |
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Turn right only |  |
Keep left |
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Keep left or keep right when road splits |  |
Ahead only |
Prohibitory signs are usually circular with a white background and a red border. These signs tell you what you MUST NOT do.
Examples:
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30 mph maximum speed limit |  |
No entry |
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No left turn |  |
No U turn |
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No overtaking |  |
No access to motor vehicles |
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Height restriction |  |
Oncoming priority |
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No stopping |  |
No cyclists |
Exceptions:
In bad weather some road signs may become obscured and so the 2 most important road signs, Give Way and Stop, are different in shape so that whatever the weather and from whichever direction you are travelling in you will know what sign you have ahead of you.
Give Way Signs are downward facing triangular shaped signs. Give Way Signs show you that the road you are entering has priority over you. Sometimes the junction will not have the Give Way Sign but show only the road markings which accompany the sign. These are double broken lines across the road. Junctions without the actual sign are typically less busy than those with the sign. At a Give Way Sign you MUST give way to traffic already on the major road and make sure that when you do enter the major road that you do so without causing other vehicles to slow down, stop, swerve or swear!
Stop Signs are octagonal in shape with white lettering on a white background. They tend to be at junctions where vision is restricted. You MUST stop even if you can see that the road is clear and you MUST wait behind the solid white line until you can enter the major road without causing other vehicles to slow down, stop, swerve or swear!
Warning Signs are triangular in shape with a white background and red border. They warn you of hazards ahead.
Examples:
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Junction on right |  |
Crossroads ahead |
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Roadworks ahead |  |
Traffic lights ahead |
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Pedestrian crossing ahead |  |
Warning cyclist |
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Road narrows on left |  |
Dual carriageway becomes single carriageway |
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Road bends to right |  |
Double bended road to left |
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Roundabout ahead |  |
Two way road |
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Road has 15% gradient |  |
Slippery road ahead |
Information signs help you find your way to a particular place of interest. The colours of the signs vary depending on the type of road.
Examples:
Motorway signs:
These are blue with white text:
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Primary and Other Route Signs
Primary Route signs are green with white text and Other Route signs tend to be white with black text:
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Tourist attraction signs
Tourist Attraction signs are brown with white text:
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Below we have a basic road layout, with the road signs missing. Simply drag the road sign into the blue boxes on the road layout, where you think they should go. Not all signs will be used, but no road sign is used more than once. When you have finished, click Submit to see how you did. Any correct answers will have a green box around them and any incorrect answers wil have a red box.
