How Well Do You Know Your Road Signs? Take The Test!
Many drivers fail to understand the dangerous situation that they're creating just by failing to properly understand the rules of the road. Being aware of what other drivers are doing is certainly important every time you get behind the wheel of a car, but it isn't the "be all, end all" solution to road safety. Learning how to drive in precarious weather conditions can certainly save lives, but your responsibility as a driver doesn't stop there. Traffic signs of all types are hugely important, as they're designed to alert you to potentially dangerous situations that aren't as immediately obvious as an impaired driver or the storm that you're about to drive through.
With that, the question to be asked is "how well do you understand what traffic signs mean in terms of road safety?" Use the following examples to find out.
A Red Circle With a Line Through It
One of the most common road signs that you'll see is a red circle with a thick white line running horizontally across the center. While it may look like something you would see if the battery on your smartphone was running low, it's actually trying to alert you to an incredibly dangerous situation that you might be coming up on.
What do you think this particular sign means?
- Is it alerting you to an abandoned or closed road ahead?
- Is it trying to tell you that you're going in the wrong direction?
- Is it trying to tell you that you aren't allowed to enter the road that it's posted in front of?
The answer is that the sign is telling you that "you are not allowed to enter" for whatever reason. Failure to adhere to it could cause an accident due to conditions you aren't quite aware of yet.
A Yellow Sign With a Wheelchair-bound Individual
Many people are no doubt familiar with signs containing an image of a wheelchair-bound person. They're on many handicapped accessible restrooms all over the country.
However, do you know what a yellow sign with a person in a wheelchair facing left means?
- Does it mean that handicapped parking is ahead or that you're coming up on a handicapped person crossing in the road?
- Does it mean that a hospital is nearby?
- Does it mean that pedestrians have the ability to cross on the road that you're currently on?
The fact that the person in the wheelchair is facing left is hugely important - it means that a handicapped individual crossing in the road is ahead. You should always react accordingly by slowing down and paying even more attention than you already were, as handicapped people will potentially be crossing the road at a much slower pace than other types of pedestrians that you are likely to encounter in your daily travels.
Brushing up on traffic signs is one of the keys to preserving road safety for the benefit of drivers and pedestrians alike. If you'd like to quiz yourself to find out how well you'd stand up, take the following 25 question quiz. The traffic signs will quiz you on notices that are posted in and around New York State, but the general lesson is one that you can take with you wherever you go.
Click Here to Take the Road Sign Test Now to Find Out How Well You Score!
