Signs, signals and markings in Vermont

By the end of this topic you can

• You can identify regulatory, warning and work zone signs by shape and color.
• You can explain each traffic light, flashing light and arrow.
• You can read center lines and lane lines to know when passing is allowed.
• You can spot the signs that you are driving the wrong way.

What you need to know and understand

• A stop sign has eight sides. Stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersecting road, whichever comes first.
• A yield sign is an upside-down triangle.
• A round sign with an X and the letters RR warns of a railroad crossing ahead; a crossbuck marks the crossing itself.
• Warning signs are usually diamond-shaped and yellow or green.
• Regulatory signs, such as speed limits, are rectangular with white backgrounds.
• Work zone signs are orange, and diamond or rectangular.
• A triangle with its points cut off marks a slow-moving vehicle such as farm equipment.
• If the edge line on your right is yellow on a divided highway, you are going the wrong way.

Reading a sign by its shape

Shape tells you the type of message even when the words are hidden. Octagon means stop. Inverted triangle means yield. Diamond means a hazard ahead, such as a curve, hill, slippery road, deer crossing or hidden road. Rectangles give rules or information. A downward arrow under a school or pedestrian sign marks the crossing point itself.

Crossbucks sometimes have a smaller sign below showing how many tracks there are. With two or more, a passing train can hide a second train coming the other way.

Lights, flashing lights and arrows

• Steady red: stop and wait; right on red only after stopping and yielding, unless prohibited.
• Steady yellow: the light is about to turn red; stop if you safely can.
• Green: go if safe, yielding to oncoming traffic when turning left.
• Flashing red: treat like a stop sign.
• Flashing yellow: slow down, scan and proceed with caution.
• Solid red arrow: do not turn in that direction.
• Solid yellow arrow: the protected turn is ending.
• Flashing yellow arrow: turn left only after yielding.
• Solid green arrow: protected turn; oncoming traffic has red.

Lines on the road

Yellow center lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate lanes going the same way. A solid line on your side means do not pass. A broken line on your side means you may pass when it is clear ahead. Double solid lines mean neither side should pass.

A two-way left turn lane in the middle of the road is only for turning, never for travel. Move fully into it just before your turn. A row of white triangles across your lane is a yield line showing where to stop if you must yield. Lane arrows are binding: if your lane shows a straight arrow, do not turn from it.

Work zone clues

Orange signs, cones, drums and flaggers with stop/slow paddles guide you through work zones. Flashing arrow panels point you into the right lane; when the panel shows a line or four corner lights it is in caution mode, so slow down. Temporary markings follow the same rule: yellow should be on your left.

Common mistakes

• Stopping past the crosswalk at a stop sign. Stop at the first of stop line, crosswalk or road edge.
• Treating a flashing yellow arrow as a protected turn.
• Using the center two-way left turn lane to drive along or merge.
• Changing lanes inside an intersection because you are in a straight-only lane.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in Vermont

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

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive in Vermont
• Vermont Driver’s Ed and the 40-Hour Practice Certification
• Vermont Junior Driver’s License Rules