Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Construction Signs

What should a driver do when approaching this Road Work Ahead sign?

Orange diamond-shaped warning sign with a black border and black text reading ROAD WORK 1000 FT.
  1. A.
    Slow down and watch for workers, equipment, and changed lanes. Correct
  2. B.
    Stop at the sign and wait for a flagger before proceeding.
  3. C.
    Merge left because the right lane closes at the sign.
  4. D.
    Take the marked detour beginning at the sign.
The Why

The answer is "Slow down and watch for workers, equipment, and changed lanes."

This advance warning sign tells you there's road work ahead, so slow down and watch for workers, equipment, and changed lanes. The merge answer comes from treating this general work-zone warning as the arrowed lane-closure sign that follows it further along the approach only when a lane actually drops.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Stop at the sign and wait for a flagger before proceeding.

The sign is a warning of construction ahead, not a regulatory stop; a flagger's STOP paddle or a stop sign inside the zone is what compels a driver to halt. Treats the orange diamond warning as if it carried the halt authority of a flagger's paddle held inside the work zone.

C. Merge left because the right lane closes at the sign.

W20-1 warns of work ahead in general terms and does not itself close a lane; a specific lane-closure sign carries the merge arrow when a lane actually drops. Confuses the general work-zone warning with the arrowed lane-closure sign that directs traffic out of a closing lane.

D. Take the marked detour beginning at the sign.

The sign warns of construction on the same roadway rather than a routing change; a detour around the work is signed separately with an orange DETOUR marker. Reads the orange work-zone warning as the orange DETOUR marker that routes traffic off the road around the work.

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 W20-1 (Road Work Ahead)..

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