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California driving lesson · Signals, Signs & Right-of-Way

Sign shapes, colors & wrong-way signs

A 3-minute lesson from the California course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

Study this lesson in the app Back to the course
Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Signals, Signs & Right-of-Way
Checkpoint questions
3
Source pages
44

Even before you can read a sign, its shape and color tell you what kind of message it carries. Learn these so you can react from a distance.

Sign shapes and colors

Sign shapes and colors
SignMeaning
Red and white regulatoryFollow its instruction (e.g., DO NOT ENTER)
Red circle with red lineYou cannot do what the picture shows
Yellow/black circle or XRailroad crossing ahead
5-sidedNear a school
Diamond-shapedSpecific road conditions and dangers ahead
White rectangularImportant rules you must obey
Handbook p. 44 ↗
Do not enter
DO NOT ENTER

Know the rule

If you enter a roadway against traffic, DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY signs may be posted. When it is safe, back out or turn around.

Handbook p. 44 ↗

Know the rule

At night, you'll know you are going the wrong way if the road reflectors shine red in your headlights.

Handbook p. 44 ↗

Know the rule

At a railroad crossing sign: look, listen, slow down, and prepare to stop. Let any trains pass before you proceed.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
Railroad crossing ahead
Railroad crossing ahead (round yellow and black sign)

Know the rule

Many railroad crossings also have a blue and white sign telling you what to do in an emergency on or near the tracks, or if your vehicle stalls on the tracks.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
Railroad emergency notification sign
Blue and white railroad emergency sign with phone and crossing number

Know the rule

At a 5-sided school sign, drive slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
School zone
5-sided school sign

Know the rule

Warning signs also warn of conditions related to pedestrians, bicyclists, schools, playgrounds, school buses, and school passenger loading zones.

Handbook p. 44 ↗

Put it into practice

Driving at night on an unfamiliar ramp, you notice the pavement reflectors glowing red. You're going the wrong way. As soon as it's safe, pull over, then back out or turn around.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What does a yellow and black circular or X-shaped sign warn you of?
  1. A school zone ahead
  2. A sharp curve ahead
  3. A merging traffic pattern
  4. A railroad crossing ahead

Answer: A railroad crossing ahead

A yellow and black circular or X-shaped sign warns of an approaching railroad crossing.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
What does a 5-sided (pentagon) sign indicate?
  1. Near a school
  2. A railroad crossing
  3. A hospital zone
  4. A construction zone

Answer: Near a school

A 5-sided sign means you are near a school; drive slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
If a railroad crossing has a blue and white sign nearby, what is it for?
  1. What to do in a track emergency
  2. The distance to the next crossing
  3. The train schedule for the crossing
  4. The location of a nearby hospital

Answer: What to do in a track emergency

Many railroad crossings have a blue and white sign explaining what to do during an emergency on or near the tracks.

Handbook p. 44 ↗
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