Illinois · Handbook chapter 8 · 4 min read

Chapter 8: Road signs

Illinois road signs by shape and color: STOP, YIELD, DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY, the railroad advance sign, warning diamonds, school pentagons, the no-passing pennant, sign colors including orange, brown and pink, regulatory, warning, work zone and guide signs.

Why this chapter matters

The Rules of the Road says plainly that you will be asked to identify road signs on the written exam. Learn the shapes and colors so you know a sign's meaning before you can read it.

Shapes

Colors

Regulatory signs

• STOP: stop at the stop line; if none, before the crosswalk; if none, before the intersection. Treat a temporary STOP sign as permanent. An ALL-WAY plaque means every approach stops: first to stop goes first.
• YIELD: slow down and stop if needed to let all traffic and pedestrians go.
• DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY: you are about to enter, or have entered, a road against traffic, often an expressway ramp.
• A red circle with a slash forbids what it shows: no U-turn, no right turn, no left turn.
• No U-turn signs on divided highways mark crossovers that only police, ambulances, snow plows and other authorized vehicles may use.
• NO TURN ON RED forbids a right on red, and a left on red between one-way streets.
• KEEP RIGHT: pass on the side the arrow shows. SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT is for slow drivers on multilane roads.
• DO NOT PASS begins a no-passing stretch; PASS WITH CARE ends it.
• Minimum speed signs: driving slower is illegal unless needed for safety.

Warning signs

• Most are yellow diamonds. School and pedestrian signs may be yellow-green.
• School signs: two walking children mean a school is nearby; with a downward arrow you are at the crossing. The reduced school speed applies on school days when children are present (usually 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or when a light flashes, and phones may not be used in a posted school speed zone.
• Stop Ahead, Yield Ahead, Signal Ahead: start slowing before you can see the control.
• Curve and turn arrows may carry an advisory speed plaque. Exit ramp signs show the safe speed on the ramp.
• Slippery When Wet, Downgrade (slow down before the hill), Narrow Bridge and Road Narrows.
• Lane reduction: merge early in light traffic; in congestion use both lanes to the merge point and take turns (the zipper merge).
• Merge: drivers on the expressway should slow to let ramp traffic in.
• Divided Highway begins and ends, and Two-Way Traffic ahead.

Work zones and special signs

• Work zone signs are orange. Cones, drums and barricades mark your path; arrow boards show which way to merge; follow portable message signs.
• A flagger ahead sign means slow down and obey the flagger, stopping when told.
• An orange slow-moving vehicle triangle: slow down and pass only when safe and legal.
• Hazardous materials placards on trucks: if one is in a crash, follow responders' directions or stay clear and report it.