Warning signs — Virginia Permit Test

A four-sided sign standing on its corner warns of a special condition or hazard ahead: slow down, drive with care and be ready to stop.

The sign gives you the seconds you need to slow down before you can see what the trouble is.

Diamond (Warning): These signs warn you of special conditions or hazards ahead.

An advisory speed sign gives the highest safe speed for a highway exit or a bend, not a legal limit for the road.

The number is set for the curve itself, which will carry you off the road well below the posted limit.

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

A hill sign means a steep grade is ahead and you should check your brakes.

Gravity does the work on a long grade, and brakes that are already hot may not hold at the bottom.

Hill: A steep grade is ahead. Check your brakes.

A deer crossing sign means deer cross the road in that area, so slow down, stay alert and be ready to stop.

Deer move in groups, so the one that crosses in front of you is rarely the last one coming.

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

A stop ahead sign means a stop sign is coming that you cannot see yet: slow down and be ready to stop.

It goes up where a bend or crest hides the stop sign until you are too close to stop smoothly.

Stop Ahead/Yield Ahead: A stop sign or yield sign is ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop.

A signal ahead sign means traffic lights are coming: slow down and be ready to stop.

You get the warning before you can see the lights, which is exactly when you still have room to stop.

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

A merge sign means two lanes going the same way are about to become one, and drivers in both lanes share the job of merging safely.

Both drivers think the other one will yield, and that shared guess is what puts them in the same space.

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

A lane reduction sign means the right lane ends soon, so drivers on the right must merge left when a gap opens and drivers on the left should let them in.

The lane runs out whether or not anyone makes room, so a driver who will not let you in leaves you nowhere to go.

Lane Reduction: The right lane ends soon. Drivers in the right lane must merge left when space opens up.

A divided highway begins sign means the road ahead splits into two one-way roadways with a median between them, and you keep right.

The road you are on is about to become one-way, and the far side is now traffic coming at you.

Divided Highway Begins: The highway ahead is split into two separate roadways by a median or divider and each roadway is one-way. Keep right.

A divided highway ends sign means the median is about to run out and traffic will come both ways on the same road, so keep right.

You have been driving with nobody coming at you, and that stops being true at the sign.

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

A slippery when wet sign means the surface loses grip in rain: slow down, brake gently, avoid sudden turns and leave more room ahead.

Grip is what turns the wheel and the brake into anything at all, and on wet tar there is much less of it.

Slippery When Wet: When pavement is wet, reduce your speed. Do not brake hard or change direction suddenly.

A cross road sign means an intersection is ahead, so be alert for vehicles coming onto the road you are on.

A car waiting at the side road may pull out into a gap that is smaller than the driver thinks.

Intersections: An intersection is ahead. Be alert for vehicles entering the road on which you are traveling.

A sharp turn sign means the road ahead turns sharply, so slow down before you reach it.

You cannot slow down safely once the turn has begun, so the braking has to happen before the bend.

Sharp Right Turn: Slow down and be prepared for a sharp right turn in the road ahead.

A roundabout sign means a circular intersection with an island in the center is ahead.

Everything works only if entering drivers yield, because cars in the circle have nowhere to stop.

Roundabout: These signs indicate a circular intersection with an island in the center is ahead.

A no passing zone sign faces you at the start of a stretch where passing is not allowed.

It faces the driver who is about to pull out, which is the one person who needs to see it.

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.

A bump sign warns that the surface ahead is uneven, which is hardest on motorcycles.

A bump that jars a car can bounce a motorcycle off its line completely.

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.

What does a sign of this kind tell you?

A hazard is ahead, so slow down and be ready to stop. The sign gives you the seconds you need to slow down before you can see what the trouble is. Virginia Driver's Manual, p.7: “Diamond (Warning): These signs warn you of special conditions or hazards ahead.”