Warning sign

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(December 2007)

"Warning Sign" redirects here. For other uses, see Warning Sign
(disambiguation).
For a sign on a vehicle or building relating to it or its contents, see placard.
A traffic warning sign is a type of traffic sign that indicates a hazard ahead on
the road.
In most countries, they usually take the shape of an equilateral triangle with a
white background and a thick red border. However, there are color of the
background and the color and thickness of the border varies from country to
country.
In the People's Republic of China, warning signs appear with a black border
and a yellow background. In Sweden, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Greece, Finland, Iceland, the Republic of Macedonia and Poland, they have a
red border with an amber background. This is due to the weather, as it is easier
to see a red/amber sign in the snowy weather than a red/white sign. The polar
bear warning sign in Svalbard recently changed from displaying a black bear on
white background to a white bear on black background (both signs are
triangular with a red border). Some countries that normally use a white
background have adopted an orange or amber background for road work or
construction signs.
Warning signs in some countries have a diamond shape in place of the
standard triangular shape. In the United States, Canada, Mexico, Thailand,
Australia, Japan, Philippines, and Malaysia warning signs are black on a yellow
background and usually diamond-shaped, while construction signs are black on
an orange background. Ireland also adopted these standards, diverging from
the standards of the rest of Europe. Some other countries also use these
standards for some signage.
Sample Shapes and Colors
 Triangular with Triangular with Triangular with
Diamond shaped Circular with Rectangular
orange-yellow yellow white
with yellow yellow shape with
background background background
background background yellow
background

Contents
[hide]

 1 History

 2 Warning signs

 2.1 General caution

 2.2 Obstacles

 2.3 Animals crossing the roadway

 2.4 Odd vehicles crossing the roadway

 2.5 Road works or construction

 2.6 Curves and corners

 2.7 Chevron arrows

 2.8 Tunnels

 2.9 Bridges

 2.10 Traffic signals

 2.11 Warning signs for regulatory signs

 2.12 Level crossings and intersections

 2.13 Lane starts and ends

 2.14 No passing zones

 2.15 Pedestrian crossings

 2.16 Schools

 2.17 Other signs with unprotected people

 2.18 Fire stations

 2.19 Oncoming traffic

 2.20 Level crossing/Railway crossing

 2.21 Falling rocks

  2.22 Other warnings

 2.23 Road conditions

 2.24 Side winds

 2.25 Slow down

 2.26 Merge to stay with through traffic

 2.27 ☡

Can you put the safety puzzle

pieces together? See the jigsaw
puzzle page.

You may think you don't need to know what these traffic signals and signs mean
because you don't drive. But if you walk or ride your bicycle on a road near your
home, you need to know what they mean. People who ride bicycles or in-line skate
at the side of the road must obey traffic signals, signs and laws. There are also
laws people who walk on the side of the road must obey. Knowing what these
signals and signs mean and obeying them will help to keep you safe when you
walk, ride your bike or in-line skate near a roadway.

Do you know what these traffic signs and signals mean?

Click on an image with your to see if you know the answer.

Different colors on signs mean different things. Can you tell from the signs
above what each color means?
Teacher: Why are you late, Joseph?

Joseph: Because of a sign down the road.

Teacher: What does a sign have to do with your being late?

Joseph: The sign said, "SCHOOL AHEAD. GO SLOW!"