Signs, signals and markings in Georgia

The Road Signs part of the Georgia knowledge exam tests whether you can read signs, signals and pavement markings at a glance. Georgia uses seven basic sign shapes, and each shape and color tells you something before you can even read the words.

Learning these well also helps on real roads, where you often see a sign's shape from far away long before the text is clear.

By the end of this topic you can

You can identify Georgia's seven basic sign shapes and what each means.
You can explain what each traffic signal color and arrow tells you to do.
You can respond correctly to flashing signals and pedestrian hybrid beacons.
You can read center lines, edge lines and special lane markings.

What you need to know and understand

Octagon means stop; triangle means yield; round means a railroad crossing is ahead; pentagon means a school zone or school crossing.
Diamond signs warn of hazards; vertical rectangles are usually regulatory; horizontal rectangles are usually guide signs.
Orange signs with black markings warn of work zones; blue signs point to services.
A flashing red light means stop completely; a flashing yellow light means slow down and take care.
A flashing yellow arrow means you may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
A single solid yellow line on your side of the center means no passing for you.
Railroad crossings are often marked on the pavement with a large X and two Rs.

Reading a sign by its shape

A red circle with a red slash always means no; the picture shows what is banned. The slow-moving vehicle emblem marks vehicles traveling under 25 mph. Georgia also has Peach Pass express lanes on some interstates, marked with their own entry and closed signs.

Octagon (eight sides): stop. Stop at the stop line, or before the crosswalk, or where you can see traffic if neither exists.
Triangle: yield. Slow down, stop if needed, and give way.
Diamond: warning of a hazard such as a curve, merge, hill or slippery road. Usually yellow, sometimes fluorescent green.
Round: railroad crossing ahead. Slow down, look and listen.
Pentagon: school zone or school crossing, placed 150 to 700 feet before the school area.
Vertical rectangle: regulatory signs such as speed limits, which you must obey like a law.
Horizontal rectangle: guide signs showing places, directions and information.

Signals: steady, flashing and pedestrian

Red means stop before the crosswalk or intersection and wait for green. Yellow warns the light is about to turn red. Green means go only if safe, after letting pedestrians finish and vehicles clear. A green arrow allows movement only in that direction.

A flashing red signal is treated like a stop sign. A flashing yellow signal means slow down and proceed with caution. A completely dark signal is treated as an all-way stop.

Some Georgia streets have Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons. They stay dark until a pedestrian presses the button, then show flashing yellow, solid yellow, and then double solid red, when you must stop. Alternating flashing red means stop, then go once pedestrians have cleared.

Lines on the road

Broken yellow center line: passing is allowed in either direction when safe.
Solid yellow line on your side: no passing for you. Double solid yellow: no passing either way.
Double solid white lines: lane changes are not allowed. Double dashed white: you may cross.
Solid white edge line: marks the right edge of the road. A yellow edge line on the left can mark a median.
Diagonal yellow striping: the road narrows or there is an obstruction; keep to the right of it.
Bike lanes: solid white lines, often with bicycle symbols. Do not drive or park in them, except to cross when turning.

Common mistakes

Confusing the round railroad sign with a general warning sign. Round in Georgia means a railroad crossing ahead.
Treating a flashing yellow arrow like a green arrow. You must still yield to oncoming traffic.
Stopping past the stop line because the stop sign is further ahead. Stop at the line when there is one.
Ignoring the pentagon school sign outside school hours without checking for flashing lights and posted times.

Practice tip: Turn each practice drive into a sign hunt: call out the shape and meaning of every sign before you can read its words.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in Georgia

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

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Sources: Georgia Drivers Manual, Section 7: Signs, Signals and Markings (Georgia Department of Driver Services). Independent guide, not affiliated with any licensing agency. Always check the latest official rules with the Georgia licensing agency.

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