Reading traffic signs by shape and colour

Half of the G1 knowledge test is traffic signs, and the good news is that you can decode most of them from their shape and colour alone. Learn these categories and a sign tells you what it means from across the intersection, long before you can read the words on it.

• Red octagon
  Stop — always come to a complete stop.
• Downward triangle
  Yield — let other traffic and pedestrians go first.
• Yellow diamond
  A warning — a hazard or a change in the road is ahead.
• Orange diamond
  Construction or a temporary condition ahead.
• Red circle with a slash
  Something is prohibited — no left turn, no U-turn, do not enter.
• Green circle
  Something is permitted — you may do it.
• White or black rectangle
  A regulatory sign — a law you must obey, like a speed limit.
• Green rectangle
  Guidance — directions, distances and destinations.

Colour is a language

Once the shapes are second nature, colour fills in the rest: yellow warns, orange means construction, blue points to driver services like gas and rest areas, and brown marks parks and recreation. When a question shows you a sign, name its shape and colour first — the answer usually falls out on its own.