There’s a lot, and I mean A LOT of signs to be aware of while on the road. However, there is a method to the “madness” – let’s talk about it!
- White/black: these are Regulatory signs. That means it’s the law. The most common is the Speed Limit sign. If it says Speed Limit 50, that means you better not go over 50 mph or you’re breaking the law! Another example is the Railroad crossing sign.
- Green/white: these are the signs you’ll most commonly see on the highway and they indicate things like what highway you’re on, what exit is coming up as well as the exit sign itself, what city(s) you’re heading toward, etc.
- Orange: these are the dreaded (especially in Michigan) Construction signs. They’ll indicate things like lanes or roads being closed, work zone begins/ends, construction work zone specific speed limits, detour signs, etc.
- Yellow: These signs are Warning or Cautionary signs. They’re not “The Law”, but are very wise to follow. For example: You are approaching a bridge, and you may see a yellow sign that says “Bridge May Be Icy” or you’re about to go around a curve in the road and you see a yellow “30 MPH” sign. You’ll even notice yellow signs saying “Hidden Drive Ahead”, warning you that someone’s driveway up ahead is really hard to see from the road and you should be ready for a car to be pulling on to the road from seemingly nowhere.
- Blue/white: you’ll see these on the highway as well. They are Service signs that indicate what exit has food, hotels and gas or just reminding you what interstate you are on.
- BrownWhite: these indicate things like parks or other public recreational and/or scenic areas.
There are more, but we wanted to provide you with an easy to remember list of the most common, everyday type of signs that drivers encounter on the road. We hope this helps in your driver education journey!
