A 2-minute lesson from the Washington course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Traffic signs tell you about rules, hazards, directions, and services. You can often tell what kind of message a sign carries from its color before you can read it, which gives you extra time to react.
Know the rule
The shape and color of a sign, along with its symbols and words, give clues to the type of information it provides.
Driving through the Cascades, you spot a brown sign ahead. Before you can read it, you know it points to public recreation or a cultural or historical area, not a service like gas or a hospital (blue).
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 red traffic sign generally indicate?
Motorist services
Prohibitive or restricted action
Construction warning
Guide or directional information
Answer: Prohibitive or restricted action
Red signs indicate a prohibitive or restricted action.
