Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Construction Signs

What does this Fresh Oil sign require of a driver approaching the treated pavement?

Orange diamond-shaped warning sign with a black border and black text reading FRESH OIL.
  1. A.
    Brake and steer gently and leave extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead. Correct
  2. B.
    Maintain highway speed since the treatment sets quickly under traffic.
  3. C.
    Stop before entering the treated section and wait for a flagger to wave you through.
  4. D.
    Change to the adjacent lane to avoid driving on the fresh surface.
The Why

The answer is "Brake and steer gently and leave extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead."

The sign marks a surface treatment that has just been laid down and has not yet set, so the pavement offers much less grip than it looks like it should. Brake and steer gently, and leave extra following distance so loose chips and oil thrown up by the vehicle ahead don't reach your windshield. The trap is the choice that turns the sign into a flagger cue and stops the driver; every orange work-zone diamond is a hazard warning, not a traffic-control order, and nothing on this one directs a halt.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Maintain highway speed since the treatment sets quickly under traffic.

The tar or oil has not yet set when the sign is posted, and highway speed on that surface leaves no grip to correct with when the car steps out. This answer assumes the treatment cures under traffic inside the marked section rather than well after the sign comes down.

C. Stop before entering the treated section and wait for a flagger to wave you through.

This is a hazard warning diamond, not a traffic-control order; it tells you to brake and steer gently and leave extra following distance, not to stop for a flagger. This answer reads every orange work-zone diamond as a flagger cue that requires stopping.

D. Change to the adjacent lane to avoid driving on the fresh surface.

The sign warns of a treatment applied to the road you are on and does not authorize crossing into another lane to escape it. This answer treats a slippery-surface warning as a lane-closure sign redirecting traffic off the treated pavement.

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 W21-2 (Fresh Oil)..

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