Other posted signs — Florida Permit Test

Regulatory signs control traffic: they set limits or instruct drivers what they should or should not do, and they are enforceable by law.

These are the signs with a penalty behind them rather than advice.

Regulatory signs control traffic. They set limits or instruct drivers what they should or should not do and are enforceable by law.

At an All Way Stop, traffic in all directions must stop and vehicles go through in the order they arrived.

Order of arrival is the only rule everybody at the intersection can agree on.

All Way Stop. Traffic in all directions must stop. Vehicles proceed through the intersection in the order that they arrived

An Exit Speed sign lists the maximum safe speed for an exit ramp on an expressway, and you should slow down to the posted speed.

The ramp is tighter than the highway, and the speed that felt fine a moment ago will not hold you on it.

Exit Speed. This sign lists the maximum safe speed for an exit ramp on an expressway. Slow down to the posted speed.

A Speeding Fines Doubled sign is posted in active school and work zones, where fines are doubled for a speeding citation.

The sign tells you the price has gone up before you find out the hard way.

Speeding Fines Doubled. Posted in active school and work zones.

A Left Lane Must Turn sign means traffic in the left lane must turn left at the intersection ahead, and a Right Lane Must Turn sign does the same on the right.

The lane commits you before the intersection, so choosing it late means turning whether you wanted to or not.

Left Lane Must Turn. Traffic in the left lane must turn left at the intersection ahead

At a Begin Right Turn Lane sign you may meet bicyclists traveling straight ahead, and you must yield to them.

The rider is going straight where your lane is turning across their path.

Begin Right Turn Lane. When entering a right turn lane you may encounter bicyclists traveling straight; you must yield to the bicyclists.

A Center Turn Lane sign marks a shared lane allowing left turns from both directions of travel.

It is shared, so a car can be waiting in it head-on to you at any moment.

Center Turn Lane. The center lane is shared, allowing left turns in both directions of travel.

A No Turns sign means you must not turn either right or left at that intersection, and a Must Turn sign means you cannot go straight ahead.

One sign takes away both turns and the other takes away straight on, which is easy to read backwards.

No Turns. You must not turn either to the right or to the left at this intersection.

A Slower Traffic Keep Right sign means slower traffic must stay in the right lane unless passing, and must move out of the left lane when a faster vehicle overtakes.

Sitting in the left lane makes everybody behind you pass on the right, which is where they can see least.

Slower Traffic Keep Right. Slower traffic must stay in the right lane unless passing.

A Pass with Care sign means passing is allowed but should be done with caution.

Permission is not the same as a clear road, and the sign says only the first of those.

Pass with Care. You are allowed to pass, but do so with caution.

A Restricted Lane Ahead sign means a lane is reserved for certain purposes or vehicles, such as buses or carpool vehicles during rush hour, and it is also used in bike lanes.

Driving in a restricted lane you do not qualify for is a ticket, not a shortcut.

Restricted Lane Ahead. A lane is reserved for certain purposes or certain vehicles, such as buses or carpool vehicles during rush hour traffic.

An Emergency Stopping Only sign means you must only stop there for emergencies, and a No Parking on Pavement sign means you must always park off the pavement of the roadway.

A car stopped where it should not be is a solid object in a lane people are driving down.

Emergency Stopping Only. You must only stop for emergencies.

Parking in a space marked Parking by Disabled Permit Only is for vehicles displaying an official disabled parking permit and transporting a person with a disability.

Both halves matter: the permit has to be on the car and its owner has to be in it.

Parking by Disabled Permit Only. Parking in this space is only for vehicles displaying an official disabled parking permit and transporting a person with a disability.

Florida also posts a Speed Reduction sign giving advance notice of an upcoming speed limit change, a Reverse Curve sign where the road curves one way then the other, and a Winding Road sign where several curves follow.

These three tell you what the road does next, which is more than you can see from the seat.

Speed Reduction Sign. Advance notice to upcoming speed limit change.

A One Lane Bridge sign means the bridge takes only one vehicle at a time, so make sure it is clear of oncoming traffic before you cross.

There is no room to pass halfway across, and reversing off a bridge is worse than waiting.

One Lane Bridge. The bridge is wide enough for only one vehicle at a time. Make sure the bridge is clear of oncoming traffic before you cross.

A Low Clearance sign means do not enter if your vehicle is taller than the height listed, a Pavement Ends sign means the surface ahead changes to gravel or earth, and a Soft Shoulder sign means the ground beside the road will not hold a vehicle.

All three are about the road physically refusing to take your vehicle.

Soft Shoulder. The ground on the side of the road is soft. Don’t leave the pavement except in an emergency.

A Dip sign marks a low place in the road, where you should go slowly and be ready to stop and turn around if the dip is filled with water.

You cannot tell how deep standing water is, and a car floats before it stalls.

Dip. There is a low place in the road. Go slowly and be ready to stop and turn around if the dip is filled with water.

Florida also posts warning signs for a Side Road entering the highway, an Emergency Vehicle Crossing, and a Truck Crossing.

Each names the kind of traffic that is about to come out at you from the side.

Emergency Vehicle Crossing. Watch for emergency vehicles entering or crossing the roadway.

What separates a regulatory sign from a warning sign?

It is enforceable by law, not advisory. These are the signs with a penalty behind them rather than advice. Official Florida Driver License Handbook, p.47: “Regulatory signs control traffic. They set limits or instruct drivers what they should or should not do and are enforceable by law.”