UK Road Signs Explained
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UK road signs fall into three main groups — warning signs, regulatory signs, and information and direction signs — and each group uses its own shape and colour so you can read it at a glance. This guide explains what each category means, gives clear examples, and shows how road signs come up in the theory test.
Knowing your signs is one of the first steps every learner driver takes. The Highway Code expects you to recognise road signs on the road, and road-sign questions can come up in the theory test.
Warning signs
Warning signs alert you to a hazard ahead so you have time to slow down or change position. Most are triangular with a red border and a white background, which makes them easy to spot from a distance.
Common examples include the bend-ahead sign, the junction-ahead sign, the slippery-road sign, and the sign for a steep hill. A warning sign tells you what is coming but does not, on its own, order you to act in a fixed way — it asks you to read the road and respond safely.
Once you can read a warning, the next question is what the road actually requires of you, which is where regulatory signs come in.
Accompanied horses or ponies
Bend to the right
Cattle
Crossroads
Cycle route ahead
Distance to the give-way line ahead
Distance over which a hazard extends
Distance to the stop line ahead
Dual carriageway ends
Frail or elderly people likely to cross
Falling or fallen rocks
Available headroom indicated
Hump bridge
Junction on a bend ahead
Level crossing with barrier or gate ahead
Level crossing without barrier or gate ahead
Level crossing without a barrier
Light signals ahead
Low-flying aircraft or sudden aircraft noise
Miniature warning lights at a level crossing
Opening or swing bridge ahead
Other danger
Overhead electric cable
Pedestrians in the road ahead
Pedestrian crossing ahead
Quayside or river bank
Risk of ice
Risk of falling into a river or quayside
Road narrows on one side
Road narrows on both sides
Roundabout ahead
School crossing patrol ahead
Sharp deviation of route
Side winds
Slippery road
Soft verges
Staggered junction
Steep hill downwards
Steep hill upwards
Double bend ahead
T-junction
Traffic merging from the left ahead
Traffic queues likely ahead
Traffic signals ahead
Traffic signals not in use
Trams crossing ahead
Tunnel ahead
Two-way traffic crosses a one-way road
Two-way traffic straight ahead
Uneven road
Wild animals
Wild horses or ponies
Worded warning sign
Zebra crossing ahead
Regulatory signs
Regulatory signs tell you what you must or must not do, and breaking them is an offence. Many are circular: a red ring usually means a prohibition or a limit, while a blue circle usually gives a positive instruction you have to follow.
Examples of the prohibitory kind include the speed-limit sign, the no-entry sign, and the no-overtaking sign. Examples of the mandatory kind include the keep-left sign and the turn-left-ahead sign. The stop sign is the only octagonal sign, so its instruction stays recognisable even when the sign face is dirty or partly hidden.
Regulatory signs set the rules; the next group helps you plan ahead and find your way.
Ahead only
Buses and cycles only
Contraflow bus lane
Disabled badge holders only
End of minimum speed
End of 20 mph zone
Entry to a 20 mph zone
Give priority to vehicles from the opposite direction
Give way to traffic on a major road
Keep left
Mandatory instruction sign
Manually operated temporary STOP / GO sign
Maximum speed limit
Mini-roundabout
Minimum speed
National speed limit applies
No buses (over 8 passenger seats)
No cycling
No entry for vehicular traffic
No goods vehicles over the maximum weight shown
No left turn
No motor vehicles
No overtaking
No right turn
No stopping during the period indicated
No stopping during the times shown
No stopping (clearway)
No towed caravans
No U-turns
No vehicles except bicycles being pushed
No vehicle or combination over the length shown
No vehicles over the height shown
No vehicles over the width shown
No vehicles
No vehicles carrying explosives
No waiting
Route for pedal cycles only
Route for use by vehicles
Route to be used by cycles only
School crossing patrol (STOP)
Segregated pedal cycle and pedestrian route
Stop and give way
Trams only
Turn left (or right if the symbol is reversed)
Turn left ahead
Vehicles may pass either side
With-flow bus and cycle lane
With-flow pedal cycle lane
Information and direction signs
Information and direction signs help you navigate and confirm what is allowed, rather than warn you or command you. They are usually rectangular, and their colour signals the type of road: blue panels for motorways, green for primary routes, and white for local roads.
Examples include route confirmation signs after a junction, signs showing services or a car park, and signs marking the start or end of a controlled zone. These signs reduce guesswork, which keeps your attention on the road instead of on last-minute decisions.
All three groups appear together in the official learning material, so the theory test checks that you can tell them apart.
Lane for high-occupancy vehicles (2+)
Traffic lanes at the junction ahead
On the approaches to a junction
On the approaches to a junction
On the approach to a junction
At a junction
At the junction
At the junction
Bilingual direction sign (Wales)
Bus lane
Bus lane on the road at the junction ahead
Direction to a car park
Lane joining the main carriageway from the left
Direction to a camping and caravan site
Entrance to a congestion charging zone
Countdown markers to a junction
Diversion route
End of motorway
No through road
Ancient monument (English Heritage)
Get in lane (overhead direction sign)
Traffic in the right-hand lane of a slip road joining
Home Zone entry
Hospital ahead with A&E facilities
Additional traffic joining from the left ahead
Advisory route for lorries
Loose chippings
Traffic on the main road has priority
Start of motorway
Primary route direction sign at a junction
Lane closed for road works ahead (800 yds)
Services at the next junction
On the approach to a junction (motorway)
Lane crossover at contraflow road works
One-way traffic
Controlled parking zone
Route for cycles forming part of a network
Primary route forming part of a ring road
Parking for permit holders only
Picnic site
Cycle route direction sign
REDUCE SPEED NOW plate
Advance warning of a restriction ahead
Road works
Road works ahead
Road works 1 mile ahead
Route confirmation sign after a junction
Route for pedestrians
Advance direction sign (primary route)
Slow-moving or stationary works vehicle
Parking for solo motorcycles
Start of motorway and its regulations
Temporary lane closure
Temporary hazard at road works
Tourist information point
Direction to a tourist attraction
Priority over oncoming vehicles
Cameras used to enforce traffic regulations
Vehicles permitted to use a 2+ lane
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Road signs in the theory test
Road signs are tested in the multiple-choice part of the DVSA theory test, where you are shown a sign and asked what it means or what you should do. The meanings are based on the Highway Code and official learning material, so the signs you revise are the same ones you need to recognise on the road.
Recognising signs also helps with the hazard-perception part of the test, because a warning sign in a clip can flag where a hazard is likely to develop. Revising signs by category — warning, regulatory, and information — is usually faster than memorising them one by one, since the shape and colour give you most of the answer.
Reading signs well in theory only takes you so far; applying them on real roads is the part an instructor helps with most.
Learn the road with MMS
MMS Driving School is an owner-operated driving school serving Coventry, and the surrounding towns, with DVSA-approved instructors available. Lessons are where road signs stop being flashcards and start informing real decisions — reading a speed-limit change, responding to a warning before a bend, or following direction signs on an unfamiliar route.
If you are just starting out, our guide on how to learn to drive walks through the full journey from first lesson to test.
learn to driveWhen you are ready to put the theory into practice, book driving lessons in Coventry with an instructor who can explain each sign in context.
driving lessons in CoventryLearners who want to progress quickly often choose our intensive driving courses.
intensive driving coursesRead our Google reviews to see how learners rate their lessons with us.
Read our Google reviewsFrequently asked questions
What are the main types of UK road signs?
There are three main types: warning signs, regulatory signs, and information and direction signs. Warning signs are usually triangular and flag a hazard ahead; regulatory signs are usually circular and tell you what you must or must not do; information and direction signs are usually rectangular and help you navigate.
What shape and colour are warning signs?
Most warning signs are triangular with a red border and a white background. The triangle and red border are designed to stand out early, giving you time to react to the hazard shown inside.
Do road signs come up in the theory test?
Yes. Road signs appear in the multiple-choice section of the DVSA theory test, where you identify a sign or state the correct action, and recognising them also helps in the hazard-perception section.
Where can I learn road signs for the theory test?
The official source is the Highway Code, which sets out every sign and its meaning. Practising with an instructor then helps you connect each sign to a real driving decision.