Warning signs: who and what may be ahead

Explanation

Warning signs prepare drivers for upcoming road conditions and hazards. Diamond-shaped signs give the same kind of warning. Among the manual’s warning signs, these name who or what may be ahead, or a control that is coming up:

• People and vehicles: Bicycle, Pedestrian, Playground Warning, Golf Cart, Farm Machinery, Buggy Warning, Fire Station.
• Animals: Deer, Cattle.
• Controls ahead: Stop Ahead, Yield Ahead, Traffic Signal, Prepare To Stop.

Example

On a rural road you pass a Deer sign. It is a warning sign, so it is preparing you for an upcoming hazard: deer.

Common mistake

Treating a warning sign as the control itself. Stop Ahead and Yield Ahead are warning signs that prepare you for what is coming; the Stop and Yield signs are separate regulation signs.

What the manual says

Warning signs prepare drivers for upcoming road conditions and hazards.

Diamond-shaped traffic signs warn drivers of upcoming road conditions and hazards.