Warning signs — Oregon Permit Test

A pedestrian crossing sign tells you to be alert for people crossing your path, and it may carry a flashing beacon showing that someone is crossing, has just crossed, or is about to.

The beacon is the part drivers miss. It is not decoration — it fires because a person pressed it.

Pedestrian Crossing: Be alert for people crossing your path. These signs may include a flashing yellow beacon that indicates a pedestrian is crossing, has recently crossed or is about to cross.

A sharp turn sign means there is a sharp turn in the road ahead.

Sharper than a curve, and posted because the bend arrives faster than the road in front of you suggests.

Sharp Turn: There is a sharp turn in the road ahead.

A crossroad sign means a four-way intersection is ahead and cross-traffic may enter the road.

You are being told about drivers you cannot see yet, on a road that crosses yours rather than joining it.

Crossroad: A four-way intersection is ahead.

A merge sign means traffic is merging from the side shown.

The drivers joining have to find a gap in your lane, and the sign says which side they will appear from.

Merge: Traffic is merging from the side shown.

A lane reduction sign means the indicated lane ends soon and vehicles in it must merge into the through lane.

The duty falls on the lane that is ending. Racing to its tip and forcing in is how the merge becomes a collision.

Lane Reduction: The indicated lane ends soon. Vehicles in that lane must merge into the through lane.

A two-way traffic ahead sign means the one-way road joins a two-way road ahead and you will be facing oncoming traffic.

You have been able to use the whole roadway; ahead you cannot. The oncoming lane starts before most drivers expect it.

Two-Way Traffic Ahead: The one-way road joins a two-way road ahead. You will be facing oncoming traffic.

A divided highway begins sign marks the start of a divided highway, where you keep to the right of the division.

The two directions are about to be separated, and the sign tells you which side of the barrier your traffic belongs on.

Divided Highway Begins or Ends: These signs indicate the beginning or end of a divided highway. Keep to the right.

A divided highway ends sign marks the end of a divided highway, where you keep to the right because traffic is about to come the other way.

The separation you have relied on is running out, and the road beyond carries oncoming traffic in lanes you were free to use.

Divided Highway Begins or Ends: These signs indicate the beginning or end of a divided highway. Keep to the right.

A stop ahead sign means there is a stop sign ahead, so slow down and prepare to stop.

It is posted where the stop sign itself cannot be seen in time — over a rise, or around a bend.

Stop Ahead: There is a stop sign ahead. Slow down and prepare to stop.

A signal ahead sign means a traffic signal is ahead, so slow down and be ready to stop.

Posted where you would meet the signal too late to stop comfortably, which is exactly where drivers run them.

Signal Ahead: A traffic signal is ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop.

A roundabout ahead sign means there is a roundabout intersection ahead.

A roundabout changes who yields to whom, and knowing it is coming is what lets you arrive at the right speed to read the traffic in it.

Roundabout Ahead: There is a roundabout intersection ahead.

A railroad advance sign means a railroad crossing is ahead and you may have to stop.

It appears far enough back that you can still slow for a crossing you cannot yet see, which is the only distance that helps at a train's speed.

Railroad Advance: A railroad crossing is ahead. You may have to stop.

A hill sign means a steep grade is ahead.

Going down, brakes fade if you ride them; going up, traffic behind closes faster than you expect. The sign is your cue to choose a gear early.

Hill: A steep grade is ahead.

An advisory speed sign advises the safe speed for freeway ramps and curves, and may be used with other signs.

It is advice about one hazard rather than a limit for the road, and it assumes good conditions — in rain the advised speed is already too fast.

Advisory Speed: Advises the safe speed for freeway ramps and curves. This sign may be used with other signs.

A slippery when wet sign means the pavement is unusually slick when wet.

Unusually is the operative word — this surface loses grip faster than the wet road you have been driving on, so the speed that felt fine stops working.

Slippery When Wet: The pavement is unusually slick when wet.

A deer sign means deer often cross the road in that area, and you should slow down if you see deer or other wildlife.

Deer travel in groups, so the one that crossed is rarely the last. Slowing buys the seconds the second animal needs.

Deer: Deer often cross the road in this area. Be alert. Slow down if you see deer or other wildlife.

A five-sided school sign marks the beginning of school zones and warns about school crossings, and tells you to actively look for children and be ready to stop.

It is the one sign family reserved for a single hazard, so recognizing it instantly is worth more than reading it.

This five-sided sign marks the beginning of school zones and warns you about school crossings.

A railroad crossbuck assembly will include a yield or stop sign, and you obey whichever is posted; where there is more than one track, a sign below the crossbuck says how many.

The crossbuck alone does not say whether to stop — the sign beside it does, and the track count tells you whether one train can hide another.

A railroad crossbuck assembly will include a yield or stop sign. Obey the posted sign. If there is more than one track, a sign below the crossbuck indicates the number of tracks.

What does this sign warn a driver about?

People on foot crossing the driver's path. The beacon is the part drivers miss. It is not decoration — it fires because a person pressed it. 2026-2027 Oregon Driver Manual, p.10: “Pedestrian Crossing: Be alert for people crossing your path. These signs may include a flashing yellow beacon that indicates a pedestrian is crossing, has recently crossed or is about to cross.”