Signs, signals and markings in Minnesota

By the end of this topic you can

• You can identify regulatory, warning and guide signs by color and shape.
• You can respond correctly to steady, flashing and arrow signals.
• You can use a freeway ramp meter and obey lane control signals.
• You can read white and yellow pavement markings and know when passing is allowed.

What you need to know and understand

• Red signs prohibit or command; white signs regulate; yellow signs warn; orange signs mark work zones.
• Yellow-green signs warn of pedestrian, bicycle and school crossings; green signs guide, blue signs show services and brown signs point to recreation and history.
• School zone signs are pentagon shaped.
• A flashing red light means stop, just like a stop sign.
• Only one vehicle may go on each green light at a ramp meter.
• White lines separate traffic going the same way; yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions.
• The slow-moving vehicle emblem marks vehicles that travel 30 mph or less.

Reading a sign by its outline

• Octagon: stop.
• Triangle pointing down: yield.
• Diamond: warning of a hazard ahead.
• Pentagon: school zone or school crossing.
• Round: railroad crossing ahead.
• Crossbuck (X shape): the railroad crossing itself; a sign beneath shows the number of tracks.
• Rectangle: regulatory or guide information, such as speed limits.

Signals that need extra thought

A steady yellow light means the signal is about to turn red: stop if you safely can. A flashing yellow light or arrow lets you go with caution after yielding. A red arrow means stop until the arrow turns green. If a signal is not working at all, treat the intersection as uncontrolled. Do not enter a signalized intersection unless you can clear it without blocking cross traffic.

Overhead lane signals show whether a lane is open: a green downward arrow means you may use it, a steady yellow X or arrow means move out, and a red X means do not drive in that lane. A flashing yellow X marks a lane shared for left turns from both directions.

Lines on the road

• White dashes: you may change lanes. Short, thick dashes: your lane is ending.
• Solid white: avoid changing lanes. Double solid white: do not change lanes.
• Yellow dashes: passing is allowed when safe. Solid yellow on your side: do not pass.
• Double solid yellow: no passing for either direction.
• Solid and dashed yellow pair with arrows: a center lane for left turns from both directions.
• Dashed double yellow: a reversible lane controlled by overhead signals.
• Diamond symbol: a lane reserved for certain vehicles, such as carpools or buses.

Common mistakes

• Treating a flashing yellow arrow like a green arrow. You must yield to oncoming traffic first.
• Letting two cars through on one ramp meter green. Only one vehicle may go each time.
• Ignoring orange signs when no workers are visible. Reduced limits and lane changes still apply as posted.
• Driving through an intersection whose signals are dark. Treat it as uncontrolled and yield.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in Minnesota

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive in Minnesota
• Minnesota Hands-Free Law for New Drivers
• Minnesota Permit Test