Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Warning Signs

What does this warning sign tell a driver is ahead?

Yellow diamond showing a black traffic light with red, yellow, and green lenses
  1. A.
    A stop sign is ahead; prepare to come to a full stop before the sign.
  2. B.
    A traffic light is ahead; prepare to stop if the light is red or changes. Correct
  3. C.
    A yield sign is ahead; prepare to slow and give way to cross traffic.
  4. D.
    A railroad crossing is ahead; prepare to stop for an approaching train.
The Why

The answer is "A traffic light is ahead; prepare to stop if the light is red or changes."

The Signal Ahead diamond warns that a traffic light is coming and calls for you to be ready to stop if the light is red or changes when you reach it. The trap is the answer that reads this as Stop Ahead. Stop Ahead is also a yellow diamond, but its interior symbol is a red octagon, not the signal head printed on the sign in front of you.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. A stop sign is ahead; prepare to come to a full stop before the sign.

Stop Ahead (W3-1) shows a red octagon inside its yellow diamond, and this sign shows a signal head instead. This answer reaches for the advance-warning shape most often taught first and applies it to any diamond posted before an intersection.

C. A yield sign is ahead; prepare to slow and give way to cross traffic.

Yield Ahead (W3-2) carries a downward triangle inside its yellow diamond, not a signal indication. This answer swaps in the other advance-warning intersection sign without checking which interior device the diamond actually shows.

D. A railroad crossing is ahead; prepare to stop for an approaching train.

The railroad advance warning is a round yellow sign with a black crossbuck X and the letters RR, not a diamond. This answer treats all yellow warning signs as one class and picks the crossing the driver dealt with most recently.

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 W3-3 (Signal Ahead Symbol)..

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