Sign shapes and colours

ICBC's driving guide: Signs, signals and road markings

A sign you have never seen before is still readable, because three things carry meaning independently: its shape, its colour, and the message printed on it. Get the first two right and you can usually act correctly before you finish reading the words.

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Practice questions on this card

Q-0001You reach the sign shown at an intersection with clear visibility in every direction and no other traffic. What must you do?
Q-0002What does the sign shown require of you?
Q-0003A yellow diamond-shaped sign appears beside the road. Before reading any words on it, what can you already tell?
Q-0004Why are school and school crosswalk signs made fluorescent yellow-green rather than ordinary yellow?
Q-0015You see the sign shown. What is ahead?
Q-0031A circular sign shows a symbol with a diagonal slash across it. What does it convey?
Q-0032You see a blue sign beside the highway. What kind of information does blue signal?
Q-0033You see the sign shown. What unit are the numbers on it?
Q-0042The sign shown uses a green circle around an arrow. What does the green circle tell you before you even read the arrow?
Q-0044Which three things can you read a sign by?
Q-0050What kind of information do green signs carry?
Q-0059You need fuel and see the sign shown. What is it telling you?
Q-0079You see the sign shown. What does it indicate?
Q-0080What is a route marker sign for?
Q-0087You meet an unfamiliar sign: an orange diamond you have never seen the symbol on. What is the safest reading?
Q-0091You see a diamond-shaped sign and a rectangular sign at the same location. What does the difference in shape tell you?
Q-0097You see the sign shown ahead. What would you expect to find?
Q-0100The two signs shown stand at the same spot and give different limits. Which governs?
Q-0501Road signs use colour to carry meaning on its own. Before you read anything printed on a sign, what does orange tell you?
Q-0531You are heading for Port Alberni and see the sign shown. Which way should you go?
Q-0532Compare the two route markers shown. Which statement is correct?
Q-0533You see the blue sign shown beside the highway. What does it tell you?