Signs, signals and markings in New Hampshire

By the end of this topic you can

• You can identify sign types by shape and color.
• You can respond correctly to every traffic light, including flashing lights and arrows.
• You can read lane lines, edge lines, stop lines and crosswalks.
• You can recognize work zone and railroad signs.

What you need to know and understand

• Octagon means stop. A downward triangle means yield. A pentagon marks a school zone or school crossing.
• A round yellow sign warns of a railroad crossing ahead. The X-shaped crossbuck marks the crossing itself.
• A pennant-shaped sign on the left side of the road warns of a no-passing zone.
• Orange means road work, brown means recreation, blue means services, pink means incident management and purple means E-ZPass.
• A flashing red light means stop completely, then go when safe. A flashing yellow means slow down and proceed with care.
• A police officer directing traffic overrules any signal or sign.

Reading signs by shape and color

Interstate numbers follow a code: even numbers run west and east, odd numbers run north and south. A three-digit route with an odd first number leads into a city, and one with an even first number goes through or around it.

• Red: stop or prohibited actions.
• Yellow: general warnings, usually on diamond-shaped signs.
• White: laws you must obey, on rectangular regulatory signs such as speed limits.
• Green: directions and guidance.
• Blue: driver services such as fuel, food and hospitals.
• Orange: road work warnings.
• Brown: tourist and recreation guidance.
• Pink: incident management, such as a crash detour.
• Purple: E-ZPass toll lanes.

Traffic lights in plain words

• Steady green: go if the way is clear, yielding to pedestrians and vehicles already in the intersection.
• Steady yellow: the light is about to turn red. Stop if you safely can.
• Steady red: stop behind the stop line, crosswalk or intersection. Right on red is allowed after stopping unless a sign prohibits it.
• Flashing red: treat it like a stop sign.
• Flashing yellow: slow down and be ready to stop.
• Green arrow: you may turn that way after yielding. Red arrow: do not turn that way. Yellow arrow: slow down and turn that way only with caution.

Lines on the road

White lines separate traffic going the same way. Yellow lines separate traffic going opposite ways. You may cross a broken line to pass when safe. You must not change lanes across a solid white line, and you must not pass where a solid yellow line is on your side.

Edge lines are white on two-way roads and on the right of one-way roads, and yellow on the left edge of one-way roads. Stop at a white stop line if there is one, otherwise before the crosswalk, otherwise before the intersection. A shared center lane is only for left turns from either direction, never for passing.

At a railroad crossing with a train coming, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail. In work zones, follow flaggers, slow down, and remember that fines may be doubled where posted.

Common mistakes

• Treating a flashing red like a flashing yellow. Flashing red always needs a full stop.
• Using a shared center turn lane to overtake.
• Missing the pennant no-passing sign because it sits on the left side of the road.
• Speeding up as soon as the cones end. Wait for the End Road Work sign.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in New Hampshire

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

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive in New Hampshire
• New Hampshire Driver’s Ed Requirements
• New Hampshire Permit Practice Test