Signs, signals and pavement markings
Up ahead you see a round yellow-and-black sign. What is it warning you about?
- A railroad crossing ahead, so look and listen, slow down and be ready to stop. Correct answer
- A school nearby: drive slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk.
- The road ahead may be slippery when it is wet.
Why
A circular yellow-and-black sign, or an X-shaped one, tells you that a railroad crossing is coming. The handbook's instruction is to look, listen, slow down and prepare to stop, and to let any trains pass before you go on. A school zone has its own five-sided shape. Slippery When Wet appears among the handbook's warning signs, and road conditions like that one are what diamond-shaped signs warn about, not the round railroad sign. Many crossings also have a blue and white sign with instructions for an emergency on or near the tracks, or for a vehicle stalled on them, so it is worth noticing as you approach.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is A railroad crossing ahead, so look and listen, slow down and be ready to stop.
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Traffic Control › Signs › Yellow and Black Circular Sign or X-shaped Sign, page 38
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Traffic Control › Signs › 5-sided Sign, page 38
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Traffic Control › Signs › Diamond-shaped Sign, page 38
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Traffic Control › Signs › Warning Signs, page 37
The rule behind this one
California road signs, signals and pavement markings goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on signs, signals and pavement markings
- What kind of message does a white rectangular sign usually give?
- You are approaching an intersection and the traffic signal turns solid yellow. What should you do?
- You are stopped at a signal showing a red arrow and want to turn in the direction the arrow points. What must you do?
- The center of the road is marked with two sets of double solid yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart. What do these markings mean?