Regulatory signs
These signs tell drivers what they must or must not do. Examples include stop, yield, speed-limit, turn restrictions and lane-use controls.
How Ontario road signs are organized
Road signs communicate instructions before you have time to read a long message. Shape and colour often tell you the sign’s purpose, while the symbol or words provide the exact instruction.
Warning signs
Warning signs alert drivers to curves, intersections, merging traffic, pedestrian activity, road conditions and other hazards ahead.
Temporary-condition signs
Construction and maintenance signs warn of workers, lane changes, detours and changing surfaces. Slow down and follow directions.
Information signs
These signs guide road users toward routes, destinations, services and facilities without creating a prohibition.
Shapes worth recognizing
- An eight-sided sign identifies STOP even when visibility is poor
- An inverted triangle identifies YIELD
- A diamond commonly warns of a condition ahead
- A round railway sign warns that tracks are ahead
- A five-sided sign is used for school-zone or school-crossing information
How to answer road-sign questions
First identify the category from the colour and shape. Then read the symbol or wording. Finally, choose the action the driver must take—not merely the name of the object pictured.
Use the sign library inside Get G1 Ready to study pictures and meanings, then test recognition without relying on the answer choices.
Open the Ontario sign library →