Road signs on the Kentucky permit test

Regulatory signs

Regulatory signs tell you a rule you have to follow. Most are white with black, red or green, and most are vertical rectangles. The stop sign is the only red octagon and the yield sign is the only triangle pointing down. A red circle with a slash means the action inside it isn't allowed.

• Stop completely, then go when it's clear
• Slow down, and stop if you need to let others go
• Do not enter this road from here
• Wrong way: turn around safely, you're facing traffic
• Top legal speed on this road
• Traffic goes only the way the arrow points
• No left turn here
• No U-turn here
• Don't pass other vehicles on this stretch
• No turn of any kind while the light is red
• Railroad crossbuck: treat it like a yield sign

Warning signs

Warning signs are usually yellow diamonds with black symbols or words. They don't give you a rule. They tell you what's on the road ahead so you can slow down and be ready to stop. The round yellow railroad sign and the pennant-shaped no passing sign are warnings too, just in their own shapes. Some school, school crossing and pedestrian signs are fluorescent yellow-green.

• Curve ahead: slow down before you reach it
• Stop sign ahead: get ready to stop
• Traffic signal ahead: be ready for a red light
• Traffic joins from the side: adjust speed and let it merge
• Crossroad ahead: watch for cars from both sides
• Divided highway ends: traffic comes toward you, keep right
• Slippery when wet: slow down in rain
• Deer cross here: slow down, watch the roadside
• No passing zone: don't start passing past this point
• Railroad crossing ahead: slow down, look and listen
• RR painted on the road: the tracks are close

School and work zone signs

The pentagon shape is kept for school signs. Work zone signs are orange with black letters or symbols, usually diamonds or rectangles. They warn of construction, maintenance or emergency work, lower speeds and detours. In Kentucky, speeding fines are doubled in work zones.

• School ahead: slow down and watch for children
• School crossing here: be ready to stop for kids
• School bus stop ahead: watch for a stopped bus
• Road work ahead: slow down and stay alert
• Flagger ahead: be ready to stop when told
• Workers on or near the road: slow down
• Road closed ahead: plan to take another way
• Detour: follow the signs around the closure

Lights that come up on the test

• Red: stop. Right on red after stopping unless a sign says no
• Yellow: the light is about to turn red
• Green: go if the way is clear
• Flashing red: stop fully, then go when it's clear
• Flashing yellow: slow down and watch for others
• Red arrow: no turn that way until it turns green
• Flashing yellow arrow: turn with caution, yield first

• Two flashing red lights at the tracks mean a train is coming. Stop and wait until they stop flashing and no train is in sight.
• A left on red is allowed only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after a full stop.

Guide and service signs

Guide signs don't give orders. Green ones show routes, towns and distances, blue ones point you to services like gas, food and hospitals, and brown ones lead to parks and points of interest.

• Interstate route marker
• Milepost: tells you where you are on the highway
• Rest area ahead
• Hospital nearby
• Gas station nearby
• Trailer camping nearby

Railroad crossings

The round yellow sign with an X and RR comes first and tells you to slow down, look and listen. At the tracks, the white X-shaped crossbuck means the same as a yield sign.

If your car stalls on the tracks, the manual says to get out right away and move away from the tracks toward the direction the train is coming from, then call the number posted at the crossing or 911.