A simple guide to road signs in the UK
UK road signs can sometimes be tricky to get your head around, so here’s a simple rundown
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We’re not sure if it’s just an ‘us’ thing, but UK road signs can be pretty confusing at times.
There are so many shapes and random lines, which are apparently not so random, that make up signs we all need to be familiar with.
So, if you’re a new driver or just need to refresh your knowledge, our handy guide below explains road signs in the UK and what they mean.
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Purpose of road signs
We love to moan about bad drivers on UK roads, but without road signs it’d be pure carnage.
Not only do they tell us the speed limit, give us directions, and point out one-way systems, but they also show obscure things like animal crossings.
We also rely on road signs to help with the flow of traffic, stop us diving headfirst down a dead-end street, and so much more.
The main categories of road signs in the UK
Hopefully, this should be a nice reminder of taking your driving theory test: there are three main types of road signs, and you can tell them apart by their shape.
Triangle road signs give warnings
Triangle road signs are some of the most common and are known as ‘warning signs’.
They’re used to inform us of potential hazards on the roads.
Circle road signs give orders
Circle road signs can mean a few different things depending on the colour and what’s actually within that circle. In general, though, circle signs give orders.
Rectangle road signs give information
Rectangle road signs are known as information road signs. They’re typically giving us a heads up with directions to places or motorway instructions.
Important exceptions to the rules
There are some road signs that don’t follow the traditional shape and colour guidelines, typically because they need to stand out more.
Stop signs
You know a stop sign when you see it – it's red, angry, and octagonal.
Stop signs give orders so they should typically be a circle, but the bright colour and sharper shape means they stand out more. And that’s important on the occasion when a stop sign is needed – it's not one you want to miss.
Give way signs
Give way signs are the upside-down triangles that are also an exception.
As another example of a sign giving orders, it would typically be a circular sign. Or, you could say it’s a warning sign and needs to be an upright triangle.
The inverted triangle design is to make it easily recognisable. If the sign gets dirty or covered in snow, you can recognise the shape and know you need to give way.
Ignoring a give way sign or it not being clear can be seriously dangerous. The unique shape is there to prevent that.
A breakdown of road signs
There are so many road signs on UK roads that you’d be forgiven if you don’t know every single one of them.
They come in different variations of colours and shapes as well, so it can be hard to keep track.
Warning signs (triangles)
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Warning signs are some of the most important on the roads. They keep us out of dangerous situations and let us know what’s coming up ahead.
Triangle warning signs can be used to warn of:
Children crossing or a school area
Work taking place
Cattle or horses in the road
Railway level crossings
Cycle routes
Unexpected road layouts ahead – like sharp turns
Shape and colour
We mentioned above that warning signs are usually triangle shape, with a point at the top and a red border.
There are some exceptions, like the upside-down triangle for give way signs or the markers before a stop sign.
Regulatory signs (circles)
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Regulatory signs are the ones we mentioned earlier that typically give orders. They’re often white with a red border but can also be blue or even blue with red borders or crosses.
You might find a circle road sign is telling you:
The speed limit
You’re not allowed to overtake
No towed caravans allowed
No right/left turns
No waiting
Cycle path only
Shape and Color
White with red border circle sign – don't do it
The most common regulatory signs are probably the ones with a chunky red border and an image or numbers inside. Numbers are shown to say ‘don’t go over this speed’, and then you might see images like a bike for no cycling.
There are also circle signs with the red border that have a red strike through them – these are also telling us not to do something.
Blue circle sign – positive instruction
Circular blue signs with no red border usually give ‘positive’ instructions. These can be a blue sign with an arrow that means ‘ahead only’, or a blue circle with a number inside that represents the minimum speed limit.
Blue with red border circle sign – no waiting or stopping
If you see a circular, blue road sign with a red border and either a red cross or strikethrough, this is telling you no waiting (on strike) or no stopping (full cross).
Some of the most common circle signs that don’t fit in these categories are the red and yellow ‘school crossing patrol’ sign and national speed limit sign (white circle with a black diagonal strikethrough) but these are pretty recognisable on their own.
Speed limits
Speed limits are shown on circular signs in different colours, depending on what they’re telling us.
Like we mentioned above, circle signs with red borders and a number inside are telling us the maximum speed limit. If it’s a blue sign with a number, that’s telling us the minimum speed limit.
If you add a red strike to the minimum speed limit, that means it’s the end of that speed zone.
You might also see a red bordered speed limit sign on a larger rectangle sign with ‘zone’ or ‘zone ends’. This means exactly what you’d expect – you’re either entering or leaving a speed-limited zone.
To confuse things a little more, you might also see a blue circle sign with a red border and cross to show the end of speed restrictions – usually on dual carriageways but can be elsewhere. Yep, that’s the same as the ‘no stopping’ sign.
No entry and one way signs
No entry signs are typically a full red circle with a horizontal white line through the middle.
If you see a circle sign that has a red border, white middle, and a ‘no vehicles’ sign added underneath – this means that only bicycles being pushed can go through the zone and no other cars, vans, etc. are allowed.
One way signs look slightly different. They’re a blue circle with a white arrow inside pointing upwards. This is telling us ‘ahead only’.
Parking restrictions
You’ll want to make sure you’re brushed up on parking restriction signs to avoid any parking fines.
These signs are the red and blue ones. If you see a blue circle with a red border and a strike, this means no waiting. No stopping is the same sign but with a full red cross.
These red signs are sometimes paired with a white and black rectangle sign. These will include parking restriction times and dates.
Informational signs
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Informational signs are the ones that tell us what’s going on, beyond what we should and shouldn't be doing on the roads.
A rectangle road sign could tell you:
Which junctions lead to a motorway
When you’re approaching a junction
Directions for roads and tourist spots
Names of roads and motorways
Shape and colour
There are a few variations of rectangle signs that tell us different things.
Motorway signs typically appear on blue backgrounds, while green background signs can be found on primary routes (e.g. directions to the next big city using A roads).
Non-primary routes and local routes, such as those to smaller places along B roads, use white signs with black borders.
You might also see brown rectangle signs – these are for tourist spots.
Also, bonus round, a white sign with a red border is for directions to military sites.
Direction and distance signs
Direction signs are typically blue or green depending on the roads they’re on. The signs usually signal junctions, routes and lanes, relative to whether they’re on the motorway or another route.
Service signs
A service station can be a welcome sight on a long journey, so keep your eyes peeled for a blue or green rectangle sign that says ‘services’ on it.
Often these will have images of what the service station can offer. This might be a fuel pump image, or a coffee cup.
They’ll often also state the miles distance to the services and could have logos for the shops and restaurants you’ll find there.
Special road signs to look out for
There are a few unusual signs that you might not run into often on the roads, but they’re still important.
Temporary signs
Some road events use temporary signage to keep the flow of traffic and ensure everyone is safe.
Roadworks signs are typically yellow and rectangular, and could be showing things like temporary lane closures (a black line with a red line at the top like a ‘T’) or a temporary speed limit (yellow rectangle with a speed limit circle inside).
Also, signs with a red background near roadworks are directions for works vehicles, so you shouldn’t follow them in normal driving.
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Combination road signs
Just when we thought we’d heard enough about road signs and their various shapes – turns out they can sometimes be combined to make a new sign.
You might see a blue motorway sign with a red speed limit circle inside, or a black-border junction sign with a red-triangle warning.
These are to make you aware of different occurrences on the roads so you’re aware on your approach.
Another one to look out for is a green junction sign with a blue one inside. This tells us that following that direction leads to a motorway.
Unusual road signs
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There are some really unusual road signs in the UK that you might not be aware of, especially if you’re a new driver.
For example, a red triangle sign with an army tank image inside means slow moving military vehicles are on the road.
One that might make you a bit nervous is a red circle sign with an exploding car inside. Apparently, this means you can’t enter if you’ve got explosives in your vehicles.
Another quirky one is a red warning sign with a little frog inside. This means that migrating toads may be leaping across the roads.