Hazard warning signs tell you about a danger on the road ahead. It may be people, animals, a bad road surface, road works or a railway line. There are many of these signs, but most ask for the same few actions. The test asks what each sign warns about and what you must do.
What must you do when you see a hazard warning sign?
Slow down and look out for the danger the sign names. Most signs in this group ask for that.
The sign reaches you before the danger does. Use that time to drop your speed, so that you can still stop or steer safely.
Some signs warn you about what controls the traffic ahead. At these, get ready to stop:
traffic signals ahead: be ready to stop if the light changes from green to amber
a stop sign or a yield (give way) sign ahead
a traffic officer ahead: be ready to stop if the officer instructs you to
a scholar patrol ahead: look out for a stop sign displayed by the patrol
a Stop/Ry-Go control ahead
Three signs tell you to slow down immediately: traffic signals ahead, children and collision.
Slowing down does not mean braking hard. On a slippery road, sudden braking could make your vehicle skid. At a low-flying aircraft sign, do not get a fright and do not brake suddenly.
For how far must you look out after a warning sign?
For five of these signs, the answer is the next 2 km. The hazard is not only at the sign. It can be anywhere on that stretch of road.
Keep looking out for the next 2 km after these signs:
pedestrians (people on foot)
pedal cyclists
domestic animals
wild animals
slippery road
People and animals move around, so they will not be waiting at the sign. On a slippery road, sudden braking or harsh steering could make you skid sooner than usual for that whole distance.
When do you need a longer stopping distance?
You need a longer stopping distance when the road or your load makes it harder to stop. The hazard signs name four cases:
on a descent (a downhill)
when your vehicle is heavily laden (carrying a heavy load)
on gravel, where vehicles also skid more easily
in rainy weather
Some signs also tell you to slow down until you can stop within the distance you can see. The slow-moving heavy vehicles and falling rocks signs say this. You cannot stop for something you have not seen yet.
How far away must you stop at a narrow structure or a railway crossing?
At a one vehicle width structure, stop at least 6m from the structure if there is oncoming traffic. Then yield (give way) to the other vehicle. Only one vehicle at a time can pass there.
At a railway crossing, slow down and look to the right and left for oncoming trains. If a train is approaching, stop in time, but not within the railway crossing reserve (the ground kept for the railway at the crossing).
If the crossing has no stop line or stop sign, stop no closer than 3m from the nearest track. Do not stop on the track or in the railway reserve.
What do the numbers on height, length and width signs mean?
They give a size limit for the road ahead. Compare the number with your own vehicle.
Height restricted: the sign shows the height of a structure ahead, such as a bridge. If your vehicle is higher, find an alternative route (another way to go).
Length restricted: the length is shown in metres. If your vehicle is longer, find an alternative route.
Width: the width is shown in metres. If your vehicle is wider, do not continue.
Why do some hazard signs come in a left and a right version?
A hazard can be on either side of the road, so some signs have a version for each side.
A motor gate can be to the left, to the right or in the middle of the road.
A road can narrow from the left or from the right-hand side.
Rocks can fall from the left or from the right-hand side.
At a surface step, the right-hand side or the left-hand side of the carriageway (roadway) can be the higher one.
Trucks can cross or join the road from the left or right.
In the same way, a steep road can climb or descend.
Do not try to learn these as a left sign and a right sign. Look at the sign in front of you to see which side the hazard is on. What you must do is the same for each version.
On which side must you not pass a danger plate or a delineator plate?
Do not pass to the right of a danger plate. Do not pass to the left of a delineator plate.
A danger plate:
A delineator plate:
Both plates give the same warning. There is an obstruction (something in the way) or a temporary obstruction next to the road. Or the road alignment (the line the road follows) is altered to the left or right-hand side.
Both are used on any road, especially in rural areas.
What is a temporary warning sign?
A temporary sign is put up for something like road works, a collision scene or a roadblock. Some of the hazard signs are temporary signs:
Road works: there are temporary construction or maintenance works ahead. Look out for other temporary road traffic signs.
Stop/Ry-Go control ahead: traffic ahead is being controlled temporarily by a Stop/Ry-Go sign.
Temporary police flashing light: it warns about a temporary stop sign, a collision scene, a roadblock or a similar scene where police are on duty.
Road closed chevron: the temporary sign that gives the same warning as the Dead-end sign. The road does not continue beyond the sign.
In the official sign numbers, a temporary sign has a T in front.
The chapter on road sign shapes and colours explains how to recognise a temporary sign on the road.
How do you read a combination warning sign?
Read it one part at a time. A combination sign joins a warning sign to extra information, and every part counts.
The extra part can give you:
a recommended speed, for example a gentle curve to the right with a recommended speed
a distance ahead, which is how far away the hazard is. Examples: a stop sign, a concealed (hidden) driveway from the right, road works or a Stop/Ry-Go control, each a distance ahead.
for a distance, which is how far the hazard carries on. Examples: reduced visibility, an uneven roadway or road works, each for a distance.
a text message, for example a general warning, speed humps or a speed limit with a text message. A drift sign can also stand with a general warning and a text message.
who the sign is for, for example a stop sign ahead that is for a goods vehicle over the indicated GVM (gross vehicle mass)
A combination can also hold a regulatory sign together with the warning. Examples are a speed limit with reduced visibility, a speed limit with a winding road, and switch lamps on with reduced visibility.
Some combinations are on a high visibility background, and some have flashing lights. The meaning of each part stays the same.
Temporary combination signs are read the same way. One means stop by police. Another means keep left. Others are for one kind of vehicle: no right turn ahead for buses, and proceed right only or no parking for motor cycles.
What are limit, action and object signs?
They are two-part signs. The name tells you what the two parts are, and you read both parts together.
Limit-limit: two limits together. Examples: a speed limit with a mass limit (GVM or GCM), a speed limit for daytime, a speed limit for nighttime, a mass limit with a time limit, limited parking with pay and display, limited parking for minibuses, and a minimum speed for trucks.
Action-limit: something you must or must not do, with a limit. Examples: no right turn ahead with a time limit, no stopping with a time limit, a bus lane reservation with a time limit, and proceed straight only for goods vehicles over the indicated GVM.
Action-object: something you must or must not do, and who it is for. Examples: keep left for motorcycles, turn left ahead for delivery vehicles, and no right turn ahead for buses.
Object-limit: a rule for one kind of road user, with a limit. Examples: no taxis with a time limit, tour buses only with a time limit, and a parking reservation for high occupancy vehicles with a time limit.
Some of the examples are temporary signs:
a speed limit for reduced visibility
limited parking with a time limit
a minimum speed for goods vehicles
switch headlamps on in reduced visibility
no pedestrians with a time limit
The fine print
Many hazard warning signs can be found on any road. Others are found mostly in one kind of place, such as mountainous areas, rural areas, near schools or in wildlife sanctuaries. The entry for each sign says where.
Two more two-part examples: a temporary reservation for construction vehicles with a time limit, and no overtaking of goods vehicles by vehicles conveying (carrying) hazardous substances.
Numbers to remember
2 km: how far to keep looking out after the pedestrians, pedal cyclists, domestic animals, wild animals and slippery road signs
6m: stop at least this far from a one vehicle width structure when there is oncoming traffic
3m: the closest you may stop to the nearest track at a railway crossing with no stop line or stop sign
Mistakes learners make
Thinking a warning sign only counts at the spot where it stands. After the pedestrians, pedal cyclists, domestic animals, wild animals and slippery road signs, keep looking out for the next 2 km.
Mixing up danger plates and delineator plates. Do not pass to the right of a danger plate, and do not pass to the left of a delineator plate.
Stopping too close to a one vehicle width structure. If there is oncoming traffic, stop at least 6m from the structure and yield to the other vehicle.
Driving into a flooded drift (river crossing) without knowing how deep the water is. If you do not know how deep it is, stop.
Mixing up the two distance messages on a combination sign. “A distance ahead” is how far away the hazard is. “For a distance” is how far it carries on.
