DMV Signs, Signals, and Pavement Markings Test

150 ft.

How far can you travel in a left turn lane?

Yellow X or Yellow Diagonal Downward Arrow

Lane use signal: Move out of the lane as soon as safely possible

Left turn arrow

Lane use signal: Vehicles are allowed to enter the lane only to turn in the direction of the arrow (one-way or two-way arrow)

Red X

Lane use signal: Vehicles are not permitted in this lane

Green arrow

Lane use signal: Vehicles are permitted in this lane

Warning (special conditions or hazards ahead)

Sign shape: diamond

Expansion joints

This sign is used when a joint across lanes creates a bump or is wide enough to cause loss of traction in wet weather.

25 mph or less

What speed defines a vehicle as slow moving?

Y intersection

You must bear either right or left ahead.

On three-lane roads

__ _____ - ____ _____ with traffic moving in both directions, road markings show when drivers may use the center lane for making left turns or for passing.

Rumble Strips ahead

______ ______ _____ signs warn motorists of black and or orange strips placed across the travel lanes in advance of work zones, including a flagger or lane closure. Rumble strips should be slowly driven over, nor swerved around.

Flashing arrow boards

_______ _____ ______ in work zones direct drivers to proceed into different traffic lanes and inform that part of the road is closed.

Hill

A steep grade is ahead. Check your brakes.

Low ground railroad crossing

A steep slope where the railroad tracks cross the road may cause the bottom of low vehicles to get caught or drag on the tracks.

Stop ahead/yield ahead

A stop sign or yield sign is ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop.

Keep right

A traffic island, median or barrier is ahead. Keep to the side indicated by the arrow.

Railroad crossing

Advance warning signs are placed before a railroad crossing. These signs warn you to look, listen, slow down and be prepared to stop for trains or any vehicles using the rails.

Intersections

An intersection is ahead. Be alert for vehicles entering the road on which you are traveling (and sideways T one).

Traffic control devices

Barricades, vertical signs, concrete barriers, drums and cones are the most common devices used to guide drivers safely through work zones. When driving near the devices, keep your vehicle in the middle of the lane and obey the posted speed limit. As you leave the work zone, stay in your lane and maintain your speed. Don't change lanes until you are completely clear of the work zone.

Bicycle crossing/bike path

Bicycles regularly cross or ride beside traffic in this area. Drive with caution. A second sign with an arrow may show the actual location of the bike crossing.

White lane arrows are curved or straight

If you are in a lane marked with a curved arrow or a curved arrow and the word ONLY, you must turn in the direction of the arrow. If your lane is marked with both a curved and straight arrow, you may turn or go straight.

No left turn

Left turns are against the law. In Virginia, U-turns are considered as two left turns and are illegal if this sign is posted.

Disabled parking

Parking spaces marked with these signs are reserved for people with disabled parking permits.

Yellow center lines

Pavement markings: ------ ------ ----- mean two-way traffic, flowing in opposite directions.

Red reflectors

Pavement markings: ___ __________on the pavement show areas not to be entered or used. They are positioned on the road surface so that only traffic flowing in the wrong direction would observe them.

Red markings

Pavement markings: ___ ________are generally not used; but, some communities do use red curbs to indicate no parking zones.

Reduce speed Limit ahead

Prepare to reduce your speed; the speed limit is changing ahead.

No right turn

Right turns are illegal. Do not make a right turn when you see this sign.

Broken white lines

Separate lanes of traffic going in the same direction. You may change lanes with caution.

Orange

Sign color: Construction

Green

Sign color: Directions/Guidance

Brown

Sign color: Recreational/Cultural interests

White

Sign color: Regulatory (speed limit)

Fluorescent optic yellow

Sign color: School zone

Blue

Sign color: Services (police stations, rest areas)

Yellow

Sign color: Warning

Red

Sign color: stop

Stop

Sign shape: octagon

School zone/school crossing

Sign shape: pentagon

Regulatory (vertical, instructions or laws)/guide (horizontal, directions or information)

Sign shape: rectangle

Yield

Sign shape: triangle

Left turn on red

Signal: Allows drivers to turn left when a light is red & the vehicle is on a one-way street and turning onto a one-way street (stop, look both ways, yield to oncoming traffic)

Right turn on red

Signal: Allows drivers to turn right when a light is red (stop, look both ways, yield to oncoming traffic)

Flashing red arrow

Signal: Allows vehicles to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow (stop, yield right-of-way, proceed in the direction indicated by the arrow)

Flashing red light

Signal: Go when the way is clear (stop, yield to oncoming traffic)

Green light or arrow

Signal: Intersection is presumed clear (Go in the direction indicated, yield to oncoming traffic if necessary)

Red arrow

Signal: Prevents you from completing a turn in the direction pointed by the arrow

Red light

Signal: Remain stopped as long as the signal is red, unless turns are allowed.

Flashing yellow light

Signal: Slow down and proceed with caution

Flashing yellow arrow

Signal: Turn in the direction of the arrow if the way is clear (Yield right of way, continue/turn)

Yellow light or arrow

Signal: Warning signs that the light is about to change, clear the intersection (stop if not already in the intersection)

Out of service signal

Signal: When the power supplying the stoplight is out, vehicles are to assume that it is like an all-way stop (does not apply if there is a traffic conductor or portable stop light present)

Sharp right turn

Slow down and be prepared for a sharp right turn in the road ahead.

Sharp right and left turns

Slow down and be prepared for the road ahead to turn sharply right, then left.

Open joints

Slow down. Open joints on bridges or ramps could cause a motorcyclist to lose control of the motorcycle.

Divided highway ends

The highway ahead no longer has a median or divider. Traffic goes in both directions. Keep right.

Low clearance

The overpass ahead has low clearance. Do not proceed if your vehicle is too tall to pass under it.

Lane reduction

The right lane ends soon. Drivers in the right lane must merge left when space opens up. Drivers in the left lane should allow other vehicles to merge smoothly.

Right curve - side road

The road ahead curves right and a side road joins from the left within the curve. Be alert for vehicles entering the roadway you are traveling on.

Right and left curves

The road ahead curves right, then left. Slow down.

Right curve with safe speed indicator

The road ahead curves right. Slow down to the safe speed limit indicated.

Winding road

The road ahead winds with a series of turns or curves. On all curves, slow down for better control.

T intersection

The roadway you are traveling on ends ahead. Signal before turning right or left.

Rough road, bump, or uneven lanes

These signs are used when certain road conditions, such as loose gravel or road construction, affect the roadway surface and create potentially difficult conditions for motorists, especially motorcyclists.

Lane use control

These signs are used where turns are required or where special turning movements are permitted for specific lanes. Traffic in the lane must turn in the direction of the arrow.

Road construction ahead - detour

These signs indicate a change in the traffic pattern or route ahead. Slow down. Unusual or potentially dangerous conditions are ahead.

Roundabout

These signs indicate a circular intersection with an island in the center is ahead. Also called rotaries or traffic circles, these intersections may have one or more lanes. Entering traffic must yield the right-of-way to traffic already in the circle.

High occupancy vehicle

These signs indicate lanes reserved for buses and vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers as specified on the sign.

Do not enter - Wrong way

These signs mean you cannot drive in that direction. If you drive past these signs you are going in the wrong direction and could get into a head-on crash with vehicles headed your way. Cautiously turn around.

Speed limit

These signs tell you the maximum legal speed that you may drive on the road where the sign is posted when weather conditions are good. During rain, snow and ice, you may receive a ticket for driving too fast for the conditions even if you are driving at or less than the posted speed limit.

Advisory speed

This sign indicates the maximum safe speed for a highway exit.

Railroad crossbuck

This sign is a warning of a railroad crossing. Look, listen, slow down and be prepared to stop for trains or any vehicles using the rails. Trains may be approaching from either direction. If there is more than one track, trains may be approaching from either direction on either track.

Left turn yield on green

This sign is used with a traffic signal. It tells you that the traffic turning left at a green light does not have the right-of-way and must yield to traffic coming from the other direction. Stop and look for oncoming traffic, then proceed with caution.

Do not pass

This sign marks the beginning of a no passing zone. You may not pass cars ahead of you in your lane, even if the way is clear.

No passing zone

This sign marks the beginning of a no passing zone. You may not pass cars ahead of you in your lane, even if the way is clear.

One way

Traffic flows only in the direction of the arrow.

Signal ahead

Traffic signals are ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop.

Merge

Two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction are about to become one. Drivers in both lanes are responsible for merging safely.

No u-turn

U-turns are illegal. Do not make a U-turn when you see this sign.

Pedestrian crossing

Watch for people entering a crosswalk or crossing your path. Slow down and be prepared to stop. A second sign with an arrow may show the actual location of the crosswalk.

School zone/school crossing

Watch out for children crossing the street or playing. Be ready to slow down or stop. Obey speed limits and signals from any crossing guards. A second sign with an arrow may show the actual location of the sidewalk.

Fine: $500.00 Fine: $250.00

What is the fine for exceeding the speed limit in a highway workzone? Using a hand-held communications device?

Get out of the car, run diagonally away from the tracks You can call the number on the emergency sign to report a hazard on the tracks

What should you do if your car stalls on a railroad track?

"Right on Red Arrow After Stop" and "Left on Red Arrow After Stop"

What signs allow a right or left turn at a red light?

A "No Turn on Red" sign & a red arrow pointing in right/left the direction

What signs/signals prohibit a right or left turn at a red light?

Slippery when wet

When pavement is wet, reduce your speed. Do not brake hard or change direction suddenly. Increase the distance between your car and the one ahead of you.

No turn on red

You may not turn on the red light. Wait for the signal to turn green.

Message boards

You may see portable or permanent message boards along roadways. They provide information about traffic, road, weather or other hazardous conditions. Always obey any directions posted on these message boards.

Flaggers

________ are construction workers who normally wear orange or yellow vests, or yellow-green shirts or jackets. They use STOP/SLOW paddles and red flags to direct traffic through the work zone and to let other workers or construction vehicles cross the road.

Bicycle lanes

indicated by a solid or dashed white line or green pavement markings, and a bicyclist symbol. a bicycle lane is for the preferential use of bicyclists. Drivers should not drive in the bicycle lane except when necessary to turn left or right. Before turning, check your mirrors for bicyclists that may be behind you and yield to bicycles in the lane.

Yield line

is a line of triangles extending across the roadway that may be used with a yield sign to show the point at which you must yield or stop, if necessary. A yield line is often seen at the entrance of a roundabout.

Double solid yellow lines

mark the center of the road and separate traffic traveling in two different directions. Passing is not allowed in either direction. You may not cross the lines unless you are making a left turn.

Broken yellow center lines

mean that passing on the left is allowed in either direction when the way ahead is clear.

A broken yellow line alongside a solid yellow line

means that passing is allowed from the side of the broken line but not from the side of the solid line.

Shared lane marking

or sharrow, consists of a bicycle symbol with a double chevron arrow above it and is used on travel lanes too narrow for motor vehicles and bicycles to share side-by-side. Sharrows clarify where bicyclists are encouraged to ride in the lane and remind drivers to expect bicyclists on the road.

Double solid white lines

separate lanes of traffic going in the same direction. Most often they are used to designate special use lane from conventional lanes, as when used to separate a High Occupancy Vehicle lanes from the other lanes of an expressway. You may not cross these lines. You may enter the designated special use lane only where signs and markings allow.

Solid white lines

show turn lanes and discourage lane changes near intersections, and at other locations where lane changes might be dangerous. Solid white lines also mark the right edge of pavement. Arrows used with white lines indicate which turn may be made from the lane. Stop lines, crosswalks and parking spaces also are marked by white lines.

Deer crossing

Deer cross the roadway in this area. Slow down, be alert and be ready to stop.

Railroad crossbuck and flashing lights

Flashing lights may be used with crossbuck signs. Always stop when the light begins to flash and be alert for approaching trains. Do not proceed until all trains or any other vehicles using the rails have passed, the tracks are clear, and the lights are no longer flashing. Be especially alert at multi-track crossings because a second train could be approaching from the opposite direction.

Crossbuck, flashing lights, and gate

Gates are used with flashing light signals at some crossings. Stop when the lights begin to flash and before the gate lowers. Remain stopped until the gates are raised and the lights stop flashing. Do not attempt to drive around the lowered gate.