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Oregon driving lesson · Signs & Signals

Route, Guide and Service Signs

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

Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Signs & Signals
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
21, 22

Route, guide and service signs don't give orders — they help you find your way and the services you need. Their colors tell you what kind of information they carry before you can read the words.

Sign colors

Sign colors
ColorMeaning
RedProhibits an action (stop, yield, do not enter)
YellowWarning of hazards or changing conditions
GreenGuide: exits, directions to roads or cities
BrownHistoric, cultural and recreational places
BlueMotorist services and facilities
Handbook p. 21 ↗

Know the rule

Route signs show which route you're on and whether it's an interstate, U.S. route or state highway.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Interstate route marker
Interstate route
US route marker
U.S. route
State route marker
Oregon state highway

Know the rule

Guide or information signs are green. They give exit information or show the direction of roads or cities. The number on an exit sign helps you know which exit to take.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Exit sign
Exit number sign

Safety corridor

A designated stretch of highway with more fatal and serious injury collisions than the statewide average. Turn on your lights for safety. Signs may include diamond-shaped flags.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Safety corridor
Safety corridor sign

Know the rule

Brown signs point to historic and cultural locations, and to scenic areas, picnic grounds and parks.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Blue motorist service signs can show:

  • Gas, food and lodging available at the next exit
  • A rest area ahead
  • An electric vehicle charging station
  • A facility or parking area accessible to a person with a disability
  • The road to a hospital
Handbook p. 22 ↗
Motorist services (food, phone, gas, lodging, hospital)
Motorist services

Put it into practice

You see a green SAFETY CORRIDOR NEXT 7 MILES sign. This stretch has more fatal and serious crashes than the statewide average, so turn on your lights and stay especially alert for the next 7 miles.

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 color are guide or information signs that give exit information?
  1. Blue
  2. Brown
  3. Green
  4. Yellow

Answer: Green

Guide and information signs are green.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
What color are Motorist Service signs showing gas, food and lodging?
  1. Green
  2. Brown
  3. Orange
  4. Blue

Answer: Blue

Motorist Service signs are blue.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
Brown highway signs point to:
  1. Historic, cultural or recreational locations
  2. Hospitals, police stations and other emergency services
  3. Gas stations
  4. Rest areas only

Answer: Historic, cultural or recreational locations

Brown signs mark historic, cultural and recreational sites.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
A Safety Corridor is a stretch of highway where you should:
  1. Drive 10 mph under the limit at all times
  2. Turn on your headlights for safety
  3. Avoid passing any vehicle
  4. Use only the left lane

Answer: Turn on your headlights for safety

Turning on your lights is recommended in safety corridors.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Safety corridors are designated because they have:
  1. The highest traffic volume in the state
  2. No posted speed limits
  3. More serious crashes than the statewide average
  4. More speeding tickets per mile than any other road type

Answer: More serious crashes than the statewide average

Safety corridors have above-average rates of serious collisions.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Guide or information signs on Oregon highways are green.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Guide and information signs are green.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
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