UK road signs and their meanings: a guide for new drivers

Road signs tell you what you must do, what you must not do and what is ahead. If you know them, you have more time to react, you drive more safely, and you are ready for the sign questions in the theory test.

A good way to start is by shape and colour, because each type of sign has its own shape. Then learn what each sign asks you to do, because knowing what a sign looks like is only half the job.

Most signs stand on posts at the side of the road, where you can see them in good time.

There are 3 basic types of traffic sign, and each has its own shape:

• Circles give orders. A red ring or red circle tells you what you must not do, such as drive faster than 30 mph. A blue circle tells you what you must do, such as turn left.
• Triangles warn. Warning triangles have a red border, with a black picture of the hazard on a white background.
• Rectangles give information. This includes direction signs and information signs.

There are a few exceptions, so that the most important signs stand out. The Stop sign is an octagon, and the Give Way sign is a triangle that points down. Both give orders: they are not warnings.

• Red circles and rings mostly tell you what you must not do. Red is also the border of every warning triangle.
• Blue circles give an instruction you must follow. Blue rectangles are direction signs on motorways, and information signs on other roads.
• Green rectangles are direction signs on primary routes.
• White rectangles with a black border are direction signs on other roads, and plates that go with other signs.

Learning the categories first makes it much easier to remember the hundreds of individual signs.

To get a full driving licence in the UK, you pass 2 tests. First comes the theory test, taken on a computer. It has 50 multiple-choice questions, followed by a hazard perception part with 14 video clips. Then the practical driving test checks that you can drive safely on real roads and respond to signs and road markings as you go.

The multiple-choice questions are based on 3 official books, and 2 of them are the Highway Code and Know your traffic signs. The Highway Code shows the signs you see most often, and Know your traffic signs explains nearly all of them. Both are free to read on GOV.UK.

The Highway Code gives every road user in England, Scotland and Wales the same rules, so everyone knows what to expect from everyone else. If you want to prepare for the UK driving theory test, start with the Highway Code.

You will meet some signs on almost every journey: speed limit signs, warning triangles for bends, junctions and other hazards, and direction signs that tell you the way and the distance to places.

Whether you drive the North Coast 500 in Scotland, the M25 around London or a country road in Wales, you will see the same system of signs. Most are easy to read once you know the shapes and colours. The sections below cover the ones that new drivers most often get wrong.

A speed limit sign is a white circle with a red border and the limit in miles per hour. It shows the most you may drive on that road. Speed limits are the law. Speeding can bring a fine and 3 to 6 penalty points, and 12 or more points within 3 years can lead to a driving ban.

Where no other limit is signed, these limits apply to cars and motorcycles (Highway Code rule 124):

• 30 mph on roads with street lights in England and Scotland
• 20 mph on roads with street lights in Wales
• 60 mph on single carriageways
• 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways

Councils can set other limits, for example 20 mph in some built-up areas in England and Scotland, so always look for the signs. A white circle with a black diagonal stripe means the national speed limit for that type of road applies.

A speed limit is a maximum, not a target. Rule 125 says to slow down when the road layout, the weather or the people around you make it safer to do so, for example when children, older people, cyclists or horse riders are near.

Speed camera signs show a black camera symbol. This version, with the camera above a 30 mph limit, means there is a speed camera nearby on a road with a 30 mph limit.

Traffic lights control many busy junctions and crossings. The lights change in this order: red, red and amber together, green, amber, then red again. Each light means:

• Red means stop. Wait behind the white stop line.
• Red and amber together also mean stop. Do not go until green shows.
• Green means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if you are turning left or right, and give way to people who are crossing.
• Amber on its own means stop at the stop line. You may go on only if the amber appears after you have crossed the line, or when you are so close to it that stopping might cause a collision.

Amber on its own never means green is coming: after amber comes red. If the lights are not working, treat the junction as an unmarked junction and go ahead with great care (rule 176).

Most signs that ban something are circles with a red border. You MUST obey signs that give orders (rule 109).

The no stopping sign, used on a clearway, is a blue circle with a red border and a red cross. It means no stopping on the main carriageway, not even to pick up or set down passengers. You may stop in a lay-by unless signs say otherwise.

Some streets are for people walking or cycling only. The no motor vehicles sign is a white circle with a red border, showing a motorcycle above a car. It is an order, not a welcome: it means no motor vehicles may use the road.

The No Entry sign is a red circle with a white horizontal bar. It means no vehicles may go past the sign. You will often see it at the end of a one-way street, to stop drivers going the wrong way. Read more in our guide to the No Entry sign.

The no overtaking sign is a white circle with a red border showing a red car beside a black car. There is no line through it. It is an order: you must not overtake on the stretch of road it covers. Rule 167 also lists places where you should not overtake even without a sign, such as where the road narrows, at junctions and near a school crossing patrol.

Warning signs are red triangles. They tell you about a hazard ahead so you can slow down and get ready.

The traffic queues likely sign shows a line of cars. Be ready to slow down or stop at the back of a queue, which may be moving very slowly or not at all.

The hump bridge sign shows a road rising over a humped bridge. It warns that the road rises steeply over a bridge, so you cannot see far ahead and oncoming traffic may be hidden. Slow down, keep left, and do not park near the brow of a hump bridge (rule 243).

The Ford sign is a red triangle with the word Ford instead of a picture. It warns that water flows across the road ahead. Go slowly, and after driving through deep water, test your brakes as soon as it is safe, because wet brakes work less well (rule 121).

The two-way traffic sign shows 2 arrows pointing in opposite directions. It warns that traffic will soon be coming towards you, for example where a one-way stretch of road ends.

Other warning signs tell you about changes such as a steep hill, a dual carriageway ending or the road getting narrower. Each gives you time to slow down and choose a safe position.

The Stop sign

The Stop sign is a red octagon with the word STOP in white. It does not mean slow down. You will find it at some junctions, with a solid white line across the road. You MUST stop behind the line, even if you can see the main road is clear, and then wait for a safe gap in the traffic before you move off (rule 171). Not stopping can bring 3 penalty points.

The Give Way sign is a triangle that points down, with a red border and the words GIVE WAY. It gives an order, it is not a warning. At a junction with broken white lines across the road, you MUST give way to traffic on the main road (rule 172). There may be a Give Way sign or a triangle painted on the road as well.

Give way means you let the traffic on the main road go first. It does not depend on who arrived first. You do not have to stop if the main road is clear, but if it is not, wait until there is a safe gap.

Roundabouts keep traffic moving in one direction around a central island. When you reach one, give priority to traffic coming from your right, unless signs, road markings or traffic lights tell you otherwise (rule 185). Broken white lines usually mark where you wait.

The roundabout warning sign is a red triangle with 3 arrows in a circle. It tells you a roundabout is ahead, so you can slow down and get into the right lane in good time.

• At a Stop sign you must always stop at the solid white line, even if the road is clear.
• At a Give Way sign or broken white lines you must give way to traffic on the main road, but you do not have to stop if the road is clear.
• At both, look out for people crossing. At a junction you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road you are turning into or out of (rule 170).

A mini-roundabout sign is a blue circle with 3 white arrows. It is an order: give way to traffic from your immediate right, and go round the central marking.

Before larger roundabouts, a direction sign may show a map of the roundabout with its exits and where each one goes. On a road with several lanes, it helps you pick the right lane early so that you do not miss your exit.

The Highway Code on GOV.UK applies to England, Scotland and Wales, and the same signs are used across Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own Highway Code, which you can read on nidirect.

Speed limits differ in places. On roads with street lights, the usual limit is 30 mph in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but 20 mph in Wales, where the default limit on these roads changed in September 2023. In Wales, some signs are in both Welsh and English.

Scotland has motorways and A roads between the cities, and many quieter B roads and unclassified roads in the country. Some rural roads are single-track roads: they are only wide enough for one vehicle and have passing places. Highway Code rule 155 says:

• If a vehicle comes towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right.
• Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can.
• If you need to, reverse to a passing place to let the other vehicle pass.
• Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Do not park in passing places (rule 156), even for a moment to take a photo.

On country roads, expect sharp bends, junctions that may be partly hidden, slow farm vehicles, animals and mud on the road. Reduce your speed and make sure you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear (rule 154).

Road signs in Scotland follow the same system as in England and Wales. Speed limits are shown in miles per hour, in a white circle with a red border.

Sign pictures: drawings of the official UK traffic signs from Wikimedia Commons. Some are in the public domain. The others contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.