What Are Road Signs?
Road signs are very important to keep everyone safe on the road. They
tell drivers, cyclists and pedestrians about what they are allowed and not
allowed to do. They help maintain order and reduce the number of
road accidents.
Although you cannot yet drive, you are a pedestrian and
may cycle too.
This PowerPoint will feature common road signs that
children and adults need to recognise.

Sign Shapes and Colours
Triangle signs are usually white
with a red border and they let
road users know that they are
approaching a hazard or a place
to stop.
Circular signs with a red border
tell road users that they are not
allowed to do something.

Sign Shapes and Colours
Blue signs give directions or information. They let road users know what
routes to take and what facilities are available nearby. Here are some
examples:

Sign Shapes and Colours
Brown road signs give tourist information to road users. Here are some
examples:

This is a traffic light. Traffic lights are road
signs. They tell drivers and cyclists when to
stop, when to get ready and when it is OK to
go off safely.
They also tell pedestrians what cars are doing.
They are always seen at road intersections
and pedestrian crossings.

This sign tells drivers and cyclists that there are temporary traffic lights.
These are used when there are roadworks blocking access to one side of
the road. This means that traffic and oncoming traffic take it in turns to
drive safely on the part of the road which is not disrupted.

This is a stop sign. It tells
drivers that they must stop
driving. It also tells them that
they must make sure the
intersection is clear of
vehicles before driving again.
It is an octagon shape.

This triangular sign tells
drivers that there is a
school nearby. This sign
encourages drivers to
slow down and
be cautious.
Children are usually
smaller than adults and
cannot be seen as clearly
by drivers when crossing
the road. Children may
not know how to cross
the road safely.

This triangular sign tells
the driver to slow down
and be aware of elderly
people crossing the road.
Elderly people may be
more vulnerable when
crossing the road due to
possibly having
impairments with their
eyesight, hearing
or mobility.

These are speed signs. The number in the middle of each circle indicates the
maximum speed at which vehicles should be travelling. Drivers are not
allowed to exceed this limit.
This sign is
mostly seen in
town centres,
residential roads
and close
to schools.
This sign is
mostly seen in
car parks and
small streets in
residential areas.
This sign is
mostly seen
on a lit road.

These signs are mostly seen
on lit roads that are not
built up.
This sign is mostly seen
on dual carriageways
and motorways.
This sign is mostly
seen on single
carriageways.

This sign means the use of
bicycles is not allowed.

This sign means only
cyclists may use this route.

This sign means no pedestrians are allowed in this area.

This means that the
road ahead will be
slippery. This sign
encourages drivers to
slow down so they do
not skid on the road.

This sign means no entry.

This sign means no
overtaking is allowed.

This sign means danger
on the road ahead. This
might mean that there
is a hazard or an
accident ahead.

This sign warns drivers and cyclists that there is a roundabout ahead.
This is useful for drivers to know so that they can get into the correct lane
for turning left, right or going straight ahead.

This sign tells drivers and cyclists that there are roadworks ahead. The
driver will then know that they may be held up and may not reach their
destination in the time they had expected.

This sign means that wild
animals are near and may
cross the road. It encourages
drivers and cyclists to slow
down to avoid a collision
between animal and vehicle.

This sign tells drivers and cyclists that there are humps on the road. It is
important that drivers and cyclists know this so they will go slower to
avoid damaging their vehicle.

This sign tells drivers
and cyclists that the
road surface ahead is
uneven or loose. They
will then slow down to
avoid loose stones hitting
pedestrians or damaging
parts of their car.

This sign tells drivers to give way to oncoming traffic. In other words, it
means ‘let them go first’.

Quiz Time!
1. What shape and colour are signs that tell you not to do something?
2. What shape are signs that give us directions and useful information?
3. What shape are signs that warn us about something on the road?
4. Where do you see traffic lights?
7. What colour are tourist attraction signs?
5. What does this sign mean?
6. What about this one?

Quiz Time! Answers
1. Circular with a red border
2. Blue
3. Triangular with a red border
4. At an intersection or at pedestrian crossings
5. It means no overtaking.
6. It means that there are humps in the road ahead.
7. Brown