Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Warning Signs

What does this advance warning sign tell a driver about the road ahead?

Yellow circle with black border showing a black X over the letters R and R on the left and right sides.
  1. A.
    Railroad tracks cross ahead; slow down and be ready to stop for a train. Correct
  2. B.
    Railroad tracks are at this location; yield to any approaching train.
  3. C.
    A traffic light is ahead where the driver may need to stop.
  4. D.
    A school crossing is ahead with children who may be crossing.
The Why

The answer is "Railroad tracks cross ahead; slow down and be ready to stop for a train."

The round yellow disc is the advance warning that railroad tracks cross the road ahead, so you slow down, look both ways, and be ready to stop for a train. The trap is the choice that treats this sign as the crossbuck posted at the tracks themselves; the crossbuck is white and X-shaped, while this round yellow sign sits back from the crossing to warn a driver in time to slow.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Railroad tracks are at this location; yield to any approaching train.

The X-shaped white crossbuck marks the actual crossing; this round yellow disc is posted ahead of it as a warning. This answer mistakes the sign posted back from the tracks for the sign at the crossing itself.

C. A traffic light is ahead where the driver may need to stop.

The Signal Ahead warning uses a diamond-shaped sign with a signal symbol, not the round yellow disc reserved for railroad crossings. This answer sees a round yellow warning and reaches for the traffic-signal reminder they learned first.

D. A school crossing is ahead with children who may be crossing.

The school crossing warning is a fluorescent yellow-green pentagon; the round yellow disc points only to tracks ahead. This answer swaps the railroad warning for a school-crossing warning, guessing the category by feel rather than reading the shape.

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 W10-1 (Highway-Rail Grade Crossing (Round Advance Warning))..

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