Signs, signals and markings in Mississippi
Signs, signals and road markings are a large part of the Mississippi computerized exam, and you will read them on every drive. The manual explains that signs use standard shapes and colors, so you can often tell what a sign means before you can read it.
Learn the shapes and colors first, then the lines on the road, then the signal lights.
By the end of this topic you can
- You can name the meaning of the main sign shapes and colors.
- You can explain what each type of yellow and white line allows.
- You can respond correctly to solid, flashing and arrow signals.
- You can handle a traffic light that is not working.
- You can recognize work zone and slow-moving vehicle signs.
What you need to know and understand
- Octagon: stop signs only. Equilateral triangle: yield signs only.
- Pennant: no passing zone ahead. Pentagon: school zone or school crossing.
- Diamond: warning of a hazard. Round: railroad crossing ahead.
- Yellow means general warning, orange means construction or maintenance, brown means recreation or scenic guidance, blue means motorist services.
- A double solid yellow line means no passing from either side.
- With a solid and a broken yellow line together, only the driver next to the broken line may pass.
- A flashing red light means stop completely, then go when safe. A flashing yellow means slow down and take care.
- If a signal is completely dark, stop completely and then proceed with caution.
Reading the lines on the road
- Broken yellow: separates opposite-direction traffic; you may cross to pass when it is safe.
- Solid yellow beside broken yellow: pass only if the broken line is on your side.
- Double solid yellow: no passing from either direction.
- Broken white: same-direction lanes; change lanes when safe.
- Single solid white: same direction; crossing is discouraged.
- Double solid white: same direction; crossing is prohibited.
- Center lane marked for turns only: use it only to prepare for a left or right turn, never to pass.
- Lane arrows: an arrow pointing left or right means you must turn that way from that lane.
Signal lights in plain words
Solid red means stop and stay stopped, though you may turn right after a full stop unless a sign forbids it. Solid yellow means the light is about to turn red: slow down and prepare to stop. Solid green means go if safe, yielding to pedestrians and traffic already in the intersection.
A green arrow gives you a protected turn because oncoming traffic has a red light. A flashing yellow arrow lets you turn but you must yield, because oncoming traffic has a green light. A solid yellow arrow means the arrow is ending. When a police officer is directing traffic, follow the officer, not the signal.
Work zones and slow vehicles
Orange diamond and rectangle signs warn of work zones. Slow down, do not tailgate, and follow any flagger. A fluorescent orange and red triangle on the back of a vehicle marks a slow-moving vehicle traveling 25 mph or less, such as farm equipment or an animal-drawn vehicle. In rural Mississippi, expect these on state highways and pass only when it is clearly safe.
Common mistakes
- Passing on a solid-and-broken yellow pair when the solid line is on your side.
- Using the center turn lane to overtake slow traffic. It is never a passing lane.
- Treating a dark traffic signal as a green light. Stop completely first.
- Driving straight from a lane with a left-only arrow. If you are in the wrong lane, keep going and find another way back.
Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in Mississippi
Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.
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Sources: Mississippi Driver's License Manual, revised December 2024: Pavement Markings, Traffic Signs and Signals, and Traffic Signal Lights (Mississippi Department of Public Safety). Independent guide, not affiliated with any licensing agency. Always check the latest official rules with the Mississippi licensing agency.