Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Warning Signs

You see this Deer Crossing sign and one deer runs across the road ahead of you. What should you expect?

Yellow diamond with a black silhouette of a leaping antlered deer.
  1. A.
    More deer are likely to follow across the road. Correct
  2. B.
    The road ahead is clear of deer for the next mile.
  3. C.
    Any following deer will wait until traffic has passed.
  4. D.
    Deer only cross one at a time, so watch for the next crossing sign.
The Why

The answer is "More deer are likely to follow across the road."

The sign warns that deer frequent this stretch and travel in groups, so a single crossing is a cue that more may still be on the shoulder or in the tree line. The trap is the answer that treats the first deer as the whole hazard, which comes from carrying over the driver's habit of clearing one obstacle and moving on. Deer follow each other seconds apart, and the second animal often steps out just as the first one clears the far lane.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. The road ahead is clear of deer for the next mile.

The warning continues to apply after the first deer crosses because more may still emerge from the same side. This answer treats a single crossing as the end of the hazard and reads the sign as canceled by the first animal.

C. Any following deer will wait until traffic has passed.

Deer following a leader do not check for oncoming vehicles before stepping into the travel lane. This answer assumes a wild animal reads traffic and waits for a gap the way a pedestrian would at a crosswalk.

D. Deer only cross one at a time, so watch for the next crossing sign.

The sign warns that deer travel in groups, not that crossings are limited to one animal per posted sign. This answer reads one sign as covering one animal and expects a fresh sign to appear for each additional crossing.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Warning Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign W11-3 (Deer Crossing)..

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