Traffic Signs: Regulatory Signs, Speed Limits and Minimums, Where to Stop at a Stop Sign, Yield, Do Not Enter and Wrong Way, Railroad Crossing Signs, One Way, Lane Control and Prohibited Signs, Warning and Advisory Speed Signs, Railroad Emergency Notification Signs, Work Zone, Guide, Service and Recreation Signs, Route Markers, Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing, Pass 3 Feet Minimum, Bicycles May Use Full Lane, the Slow-Moving Vehicle Triangle and Disabled Parking Penalties
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Colorado driving knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: Colorado Driver Handbook (Colorado DMV, DR 2337, December 2024 edition), "Traffic Signs" (pages 7–9).
Reading signs
Signs state the rules, warn of hazards, tell you where you are, give directions and point to services, and their shapes and colors say which kind of information they carry.
Regulatory signs
Regulatory signs are black or red on white and state the law at that spot; disobeying one is a traffic violation. Speed limit signs give the maximum or minimum allowed; maximums are for ideal conditions and you must slow when conditions demand. A stop sign means a complete stop at the marked stop line, or if there is none, before the crosswalk on the near side, or if there is none, at the point nearest the cross street where you can see approaching traffic. A yield sign means slow or stop to give way to all pedestrians and any vehicle with the right-of-way. Do Not Enter and Wrong Way signs turn back drivers heading the wrong way on a street or ramp; never go past one. Railroad crossing signs come in several shapes; never try to beat a train, never start across without room for your whole vehicle beyond the tracks, and do not shift gears on the tracks in case you stall. A One Way sign allows travel only in the arrow's direction. Lane control signs, beside or above the road and sometimes painted on it, use arrows to show where each lane may go. Prohibited signs, such as no U-turn or no left turn, tell you what you may not do.
Warning and advisory signs
Warning signs are yellow or fluorescent green with black symbols and mark school zones, curves, slippery surfaces, merging traffic (vehicles entering from a side street) and pedestrian areas. Advisory speed signs give the safe speed for a curve, corner or off-ramp in ideal conditions. Bicycle and pedestrian crossing signs, yellow with black symbols, mark places such as a shared-use path crossing where both may be in the road.
Railroad emergency signs and work zones
Emergency Notification System signs are blue and stand at every highway-rail crossing with a telephone number for reporting problems or emergencies, and directly below it a Department of Transportation number that identifies that exact crossing. Work zone signs are orange with black letters or symbols and work with other devices and flaggers to guide traffic and protect workers.
Guide, service, recreation and route signs
Guide signs are green and give directions and mileage to destinations. Service signs are blue and point to facilities; recreation signs are brown and mark recreational, historic or cultural areas. Route markers identify the road type by shape: Interstate, US, state or county highway.
Bicycle-related signs
Pass 3 Ft Min signs, white with black letters, remind drivers that when passing a bicyclist they must leave three feet of clearance on every road, whether or not a sign is posted. Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs, also white with black, remind drivers that a bicyclist may ride in the center of the lane when hazards or poor visibility make the right side unsafe.
Slow-moving vehicles and disabled parking
A reflective orange triangle on the rear of a vehicle means it is designed for speeds below 25 mph. Disabled parking signs, sometimes with pavement symbols, reserve spaces for vehicles displaying a disabled permit; the crosshatched area is for van access and never for parking, and the placard holder must be getting into or out of the vehicle. Parking there without a placard or plate is a misdemeanor with a $350 to $5,000 fine, possible jail, loss of driving privileges and impoundment; using someone else's placard or plate doubles the fines and adds jail, loss of privileges and towing.
Practise this with Colorado Driver License questions
More of this guide
Residency and the 30-day rules, the written test, instruction permits and the 21-year-old supervisor, how the drive test is scored, the Affidavit of Liability, the 12-month permit and 50 practice hours, passenger and curfew restrictions, seat belt and child restraint rules, DWAI versus DUI, BAC limits, penalties, marijuana and express consent.
Vision, the earphone rule, fatigue and distraction, vehicle checks and mirror adjustment, hand position and backing, every light and arrow including the flashing yellow arrow and HAWK signals, yellow and white lines, green paint and sharrows, crosswalks, bike, transit, HOV and reversible lanes, roundabouts, the two-way left-turn lane and the diverging diamond.
Who yields to whom, four-way stops, narrow mountain roads, emergency and maintenance vehicles, school buses, default speed limits from 20 to 75 mph, stopping distance, signaling 100 and 200 feet, U-turns and turnabouts, where parking is banned, hill and parallel parking, freeway entry and exit, lane changes and every passing rule.
Blind crests and curves, headlights from sunset to sunrise or under 1,000 feet, dimming at 500 and 200 feet, hydroplaning, melting ice and tandem snowplows, threshold braking, lower gears and the uphill right-of-way, rural hazards, doubled work-zone fines, the mobile device law, scanning, the three-second rule, the zipper merge and traffic stops.
Motorcycle lane filtering at 15 mph, truck No Zones and runaway ramps, school bus lights and which lanes must stop, stalling on the tracks, the ENS sign, 10 feet from the tracks, quiet zones, 40-ton light rail cars, every bicycle law including the 2022 stop-as-yield rule, the Dutch Reach, hand signals, motorcycle collision causes and pedestrian rules.
What counts as distraction, the mobile device rule, reckless driving and its 8 points, aggressive acts and *CSP reporting, stopping quickly with and without ABS, turning or speeding up to avoid a crash, animals at dusk and dawn, brake, tire, power, headlight and gas pedal failures, duties after a crash, Accident Alert, the Move It and Move Over laws and Good Samaritan care.