Signs communicate through colour, shape and symbol, so you can often read them before you read the words.
- Stop sign: eight-sided (octagonal), red with white letters. Come to a complete stop.
- Yield sign: a downward triangle, white with a red border. Let other traffic proceed first.
- Warning signs: diamond-shaped, yellow background, black symbols. Permanent hazard ahead, such as a curve or merge.
- Temporary condition signs: diamond-shaped, orange background. Construction, detours and lane closures.
- Regulatory signs: usually rectangular, white background; they tell you the law (speed limits, turn restrictions). A green circle means an action is permitted; a red circle with a line means it is prohibited.
- Information and direction signs: rectangular, green background, white letters. Distances, destinations and facilities.
- Railway crossing sign: X-shaped, white with a red outline.
🧠 Memory hook: "Yellow is a fixed hazard; orange is a temporary one." Both are diamonds, the colour tells you which.
Recall: What shape and colour is a stop sign? What does an orange diamond warn of?