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Newfoundland and Labrador · Learner’s test

Road signs in NL for the written test

The Driver’s Handbook teaches road signs in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) by shape and colour, so you can tell what kind of sign you’re looking at before you can read a word. It has more signs than fit here, including the hazardous weather and tourist signs.

  • 7Sign shapes the handbook teaches first
  • 8Sides on a stop sign, unlike any other sign
  • BrownColour of tourist information signs
Open the handbook PDF

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What do road signs in NL look like?

The handbook’s signs chapter opens with seven shapes:

  • Octagon: stop
  • Horizontal rectangle: directions and distances
  • Vertical rectangle or square: regulations
  • Crossbuck: a railway crossing
  • Upside-down triangle: yield the right of way
  • Pentagon: school children may be near, on a blue or fluorescent yellow sign
  • Diamond: a hazard ahead

Green signs with white letters give distances and directions to places and highway routes.

Regulatory signs: rules you must obey

Regulatory signs are rectangles or squares, white with black or other coloured lettering. They set out the law on speed, parking, turning and passing. A green circle means what’s shown is allowed or required, and a red circle with a red stroke means it isn’t allowed.

  • Red octagon with a white border and the word STOP in white.Stop: come to a full stop at the stop line or crosswalk, and go when the way is clear
  • Downward-pointing triangle with a wide red border and white centre, no text.Yield: slow down, be ready to stop and give the right of way to oncoming traffic
  • Five-sided fluorescent yellow-green sign with a black border and two black schoolchildren walking.School zone: slow down, take extra care and watch for children
  • White square with a black border holding a red circle crossed by a white horizontal bar.Do not enter this street
  • White square with a black U-shaped arrow inside a red circle with a red slash.Do not make a U-turn
  • White square with a black left-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slash.No left turn at this intersection
  • White vertical sign with a black island shape on the left and a black arrow curving around it to the right.Keep to the right of the island
  • Black square with two white curved arrows turning left, one from each direction.The centre lane is a shared left turn lane
  • White vertical sign with black words SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT.Keep to the right lane except to pass
  • White square with a black walking person inside a red circle with a red slash.Pedestrians not permitted on the highway
  • White square with a black bicycle inside a red circle with a red slash.Bicycles not permitted on the highway

Warning signs: what’s on the road ahead

Warning signs are diamonds, and each one tells you about a change in the road ahead. The handbook also has one for moose, on stretches where they cross the road regularly: slow down and drive with caution.

  • Yellow diamond with a black traffic-signal housing showing red, yellow and green lights.Traffic lights ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow pointing up above a red stop-sign octagon.Stop sign ahead: be prepared to stop
  • Yellow diamond: a black vertical road with a second road joining it diagonally from the right.Two lanes of traffic merge ahead
  • Yellow diamond with two black lines: the left one straight, the right one bending in to show the right lane ending.Right lane is ending
  • Yellow diamond with two black lines that bend inward, showing the pavement getting narrower.The road ahead is narrower than the one you’re on
  • Yellow diamond with two black brackets curving in toward each other, like the rails of a narrow bridge.Narrow bridge or underpass ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow snaking back and forth upward.Winding road ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow going up then turning sharply right at a right angle.Sharp turn ahead, in the direction shown
  • Yellow diamond: black road surface with a raised hump and an arrow above it.Bump or rough road ahead
  • Yellow diamond: a black road whose top part changes to a dotted gravel texture.Pavement ends, with a gravel road ahead
  • Yellow diamond: a black rock face on the right with rocks tumbling down to the road.Falling rocks
  • Yellow diamond: a vertical black road crossed by a horizontal railway track with short ties.Railway crossing ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black up arrow on the right and a down arrow on the left, separated by a dashed centre line.Two-way traffic ahead: share the road with drivers going the other way
  • Yellow diamond: a black median shape at the top with an up arrow curving right and a down arrow on the left.Divided highway ahead: keep to the right
  • Yellow diamond with three black arrows chasing each other counter-clockwise in a circle.Roundabout ahead: slow down
  • Yellow diamond with a black car and two wavy skid marks behind it.Road surface is slippery when wet
  • Fluorescent orange triangle with a dark red reflective border.Slow-moving vehicle: required on the back of the vehicle on the highway

Traffic lights

The handbook teaches traffic lights in the same chapter. On a solid red you may turn right after a complete stop, yielding to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign says no. A police officer’s directions come before any light.

  • Traffic-signal head with the bottom green light lit.Solid green: go straight or turn right. Turn left only after yielding to pedestrians and oncoming traffic
  • Traffic-signal head with the middle yellow light lit.Solid amber: red is coming. Stop if you can do it safely, otherwise go through with caution
  • Yellow traffic-signal head with the top red light lit.Solid red: stop and wait for green
  • Traffic-signal head with the yellow light lit and rays showing it is flashing.Flashing amber: slow down and go with caution
  • Traffic-signal head with the red light lit and short rays showing it is flashing.Flashing red: come to a complete stop, and go only when it’s safe
  • Vertical white sign: a right-turn arrow in a red circle and slash above a traffic-signal symbol with the red light lit.No right turn on a red light

Construction signs and road markings

Road construction signs warn you of construction, road crews, survey crews and a flag person who may stop you. Zipper merge signs tell you to use both lanes up to the merge point.

Lines painted on the road follow these rules:

  • Yellow lines separate traffic going opposite ways
  • White lines separate traffic going the same way
  • A solid line on your left means it isn’t safe to pass
  • A broken yellow line on your left means you may pass if the way is clear
  • Arrows near an intersection show which way traffic in that lane must go
  • Two solid yellow lines around diagonal yellow lines mark a painted island. Don’t drive over it or use it to pass
What’s in the handbook →Compare study options →How the written test works →
Sources: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and 2 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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