While traveling on the road, you might have come across thousands of different vehicle signs on the roadside and wondered what meaning do they hold and why do they all look alike? Well, you are not the only one getting confused with such signs on roads. There are a lot of people who are not aware of such signs. Each vehicle sign has a different meaning and they have the power to control and re-route the traffic on their own.
Basically, these signs are used to bring systematic order on roads. They directly come under the control of state government and they are made keeping in mind the national traffic guidelines, so they are the same throughout the country. This makes driving easy for you, as once you become aware and familiar with these signs, you can drive confidently anywhere in the country.
Vehicle signs are basically categorized into three types: Regulatory signs, Warning signs, and Information Signs.
Let us have a look at each of the categories.
Regulatory Signs
Regulatory signs tell you about the rules and regulations that must be obeyed. If you fail to do so, it may result in your license being canceled or suspended, or you may end up paying a hefty fine. Most vehicle signs that fall under this category are rectangular in shape, except three i.e. Stop, Give Way, and Roundabout. They are displayed usually with black on a white background, and sometimes with red color also. Some examples of signs under this category are as follows:
- Speed Limit: This vehicle sign displays the maximum speed you are permitted to drive in that specific area. They are rectangular in shape with maximum speed displayed in black inside a red circle on a white background.
- Road Works: If some construction or any other sort of work is going on the road, then this sign is used to display at sites for the safety of workers. They indicate to reduce speed and be careful.
- Stop Sign: If you see this STOP sign, that means you need to stop completely and you are supposed to give way to other traffic. It is octagonal in shape with the word ‘STOP’ in white on a red background.
- Restricted Turn Signs: These signs are used to indicate that a particular turn is restricted either for safety concerns or to facilitate the traffic flow. For instance, ‘NO LEFT TURN’ indicates that turning towards the left side is restricted.
- No Entry: If you see a ‘NO ENTRY’ sign, it clearly indicates that you are not supposed to enter that street or road.
- Parking Signs: As the name suggests, these signs are used in parking areas to indicate when traffic is allowed, when not allowed, or for how much traffic is allowed. It is rectangular in shape, either vertical or horizontal, with the time allowed to park in green color on a white background.
Warning Signs
These vehicle signs are used to warn you about an upcoming hazard that requires caution. They basically alert you that some danger is approaching and you need to take care of yourself. Some examples of signs under the warning section are as follows:
- Permanent Warning Signs: These signs are mostly in diamond shapes with a black picture that shows the danger on a yellow background. Their intent is to warn you about any blind turn, deep pits, T-intersections, deep U-turn ahead, a narrow bridge ahead, any road humps, or a pedestrian crossing.
- Lane Closed Warning Signs: These signs are displayed at locations where traffic needs to merge from three lanes to two or from two to one. If you see a red cross, it signifies that the lane is closed and the green arrow shows that the lane is open.
- Temporary Warning Signs: If there is any danger zone ahead, like flooded roads, any fallen tree, land sliding, or any accident scene, then you will see these warning signs. They just warn you beforehand about the approaching risk. They can be in yellow and black, or orange and black, or a red triangle if it’s an accident on the road.
Information Signs
These vehicle signs are the simplest to understand, as they give you relevant information about your journey. They tell you which is the right direction to reach your destination, tell you how far you are from your destination, tell you on which road or highway you are on, and the name of the place you are heading for.
Conclusion
That was all about the different categories of vehicle signs you need to be aware of. It is better to follow these signs since they are for your own safety and guidance. It doesn’t matter whether you are leaving for work in a hurry or just going out for fun, you must follow them so as to prevent any unwanted incident to happen.
