--- title: "UK Road Signs and Their Meanings | The License Desk" url: https://www.thelicensedesk.com/road-signs/ updated: 2026-09-26 --- > Source: https://www.thelicensedesk.com/road-signs/ — last reviewed 2026-09-26. Markdown version generated at build time from the same content the page serves. 612 official signs · 12 categories · Free quiz # UK road signs and their meanings Every sign below is the Department for Transport’s official artwork, with its official meaning. Learn the system, then test yourself. [Take the free road signs quiz](/theory-test/road-and-traffic-signs/practice-test/) Quick answer UK road signs follow a simple system: circles give orders, triangles warn and rectangles inform. A red ring means you must not; a blue circle means you must. Direction signs are colour-coded — blue for motorways, green for primary routes, white for local roads and brown for tourist attractions. Browse all 612 official signs by category below. ## Which types of road sign are there? The Department for Transport groups signs by what they do. Each category below explains how to read that type of sign and shows every official sign in it with its meaning — the same meanings the theory test expects you to know. - [![Example of UK warning signs: Accompanied horses or ponies likely to be in or crossing road ahead](/signs/uk/550-1-accompanied-horses-or-ponies-likely-to-be-in-or-crossing-roa.webp) **Warning signs**115 signs](/road-signs/warning-signs/) - [![Example of UK regulatory signs: All vehicles prohibited except pedal cycles being pushed by pedestrians](/signs/uk/617-all-vehicles-prohibited-except-pedal-cycles-being-pushed-by.webp) **Regulatory signs**51 signs](/road-signs/regulatory-signs/) - [![Example of UK speed limit signs: End of 30 miles per hour minimum speed limit](/signs/uk/673-end-of-30-miles-per-hour-minimum-speed-limit.webp) **Speed limit signs**22 signs](/road-signs/speed-limit-signs/) - [![Example of UK motorway signs: 10 miles to the next motorway service area](/signs/uk/2918-10-miles-to-the-next-motorway-service-area.webp) **Motorway signs**53 signs](/road-signs/motorway-signs/) - [![Example of UK parking signs: No stopping on main carriageway](/signs/uk/642-no-stopping-on-main-carriageway.webp) **Parking signs**78 signs](/road-signs/parking-signs/) - [![Example of UK level crossing signs: Another train or tramcar may be about to pass over the level crossing](/signs/uk/776-another-train-or-tramcar-may-be-about-to-pass-over-the-level.webp) **Level crossing signs**20 signs](/road-signs/level-crossing-signs/) - [![Example of UK pedestrian and cycle signs: Direction along a footpath indicated by waymarks](/signs/uk/2610-2-direction-along-a-footpath-indicated-by-waymarks.webp) **Pedestrian and cycle signs**29 signs](/road-signs/pedestrian-and-cycle-signs/) - [![Example of UK bus and tram signs: Buses prohibited](/signs/uk/952-buses-prohibited.webp) **Bus and tram signs**49 signs](/road-signs/bus-and-tram-signs/) - [![Example of UK road works signs: Loose chippings on road ahead](/signs/uk/7009-loose-chippings-on-road-ahead.webp) **Road works signs**38 signs](/road-signs/road-works-signs/) - [![Example of UK traffic calming signs: Road hump or series of road humps ahead](/signs/uk/557-1-road-hump-or-series-of-road-humps-ahead.webp) **Traffic calming signs**10 signs](/road-signs/traffic-calming-signs/) - [![Example of UK information signs: Accident ahead and consequent need to proceed with caution](/signs/uk/829-2-accident-ahead-and-consequent-need-to-proceed-with-caution.webp) **Information signs**57 signs](/road-signs/information-signs/) - [![Example of UK direction signs: 100 yards to a roundabout or the next point at which traffic may leave a non-primary route](/signs/uk/825vr-100-yards-to-a-roundabout-or-the-next-point-at-which-traffic.webp) **Direction signs**90 signs](/road-signs/direction-signs/) ## How do you read a road sign you have never seen? Start with the shape, then the colour, then the symbol. A red-bordered triangle is always a warning, so slow down and look for the hazard. A red-ringed circle is an order not to do something; a blue circle is an order to do something. Plates underneath add distances, times or exceptions — read them before you decide the sign doesn’t apply to you. ## Frequently asked questions **### What do the shapes of UK road signs mean?** Circles give orders, triangles warn and rectangles inform. Within circles, a red ring means something is prohibited and a blue circle tells you what you must do. STOP is an octagon and GIVE WAY an upside-down triangle so they stand out. **### What do the colours of direction signs mean?** Blue backgrounds are for motorways, green for primary routes, white for other local routes and brown for tourist destinations. Yellow signs with black symbols usually mark temporary diversions around road works or closures. **### Are road signs on the theory test?** Yes. Road and traffic signs is one of the 14 official theory test topics, and signs also appear in questions on other topics such as motorways and rules of the road. Learn the shape and colour system first, then practise individual signs. **### Where do these road sign images come from?** They are the official traffic sign images published by the Department for Transport. Traffic signs are Crown copyright and are reproduced here under the Open Government Licence, which allows free reuse when the signs are shown accurately. Sources - [Department for Transport — Road traffic sign images for reproduction](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/traffic-sign-images) - [Know Your Traffic Signs (DfT)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/know-your-traffic-signs) - [The Highway Code — Traffic signs](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/traffic-signs) Sources last checked on 26 September 2026. Found an error? Email us — fixes are logged on our [corrections page](/corrections/). Traffic sign images: Crown copyright, Department for Transport. Reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. [Licence](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).