Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Construction Signs

What does this Be Prepared To Stop sign require of a driver approaching it?

Orange diamond with black border and black text reading BE PREPARED TO STOP on three lines
  1. A.
    Reduce speed and be ready to brake because traffic ahead may stop without warning. Correct
  2. B.
    Stop at the sign and wait for a flagger to wave you through.
  3. C.
    Merge left immediately because the right lane is closing ahead.
  4. D.
    Yield to workers and equipment entering the roadway from the shoulder.
The Why

The answer is "Reduce speed and be ready to brake because traffic ahead may stop without warning."

The orange diamond warns that traffic ahead may halt without notice at a flagger, a signal, or the back of a queue. Ease off the accelerator, open up your following distance, and cover the brake so you can stop firmly if a stopped line appears around the next curve. The trap is the answer that treats the words 'prepared to stop' as an order to halt at the sign itself; a diamond flags what is coming, not the point where the driver actually stops.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Stop at the sign and wait for a flagger to wave you through.

The sign is placed well before the possible stopping point; the actual stop, if any, happens at the flagger, signal, or queue farther down the road. This answer reads the wording as an instruction to halt at the sign itself rather than as an advance warning.

C. Merge left immediately because the right lane is closing ahead.

A closing lane is announced by its own Lane Closed Ahead sign; this device addresses stopping traffic, not a merge. This answer confuses this warning with the Right Lane Closed Ahead sign that directs a merge.

D. Yield to workers and equipment entering the roadway from the shoulder.

Worker-in-roadway warnings carry a flagger or worker symbol; this one addresses a stopped queue ahead, not people on foot. This answer applies a Flagger Ahead reading to a device that flags stopping vehicles, not workers.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Construction Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign CW3-4 (Be Prepared To Stop)..

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