The primary purpose of road signs in the UK and anywhere else worldwide is to ensure safety for everyone on the road, including drivers and pedestrians. Road signs help in creating better and more responsible drivers. You not only need to learn road signs for your safety and that of others, but you also need to learn them to pass the theory test for your driving license. These road signs can be divided into several categories, as mentioned below:

Warning Signs: These signs are used to warn drivers of potential hazards ahead, such as steep hills, sharp turns, or animals crossing the road.
Regulatory Signs: These signs give drivers specific instructions or prohibitions, such as speed limits, no entry signs, or no parking signs.
Information Signs: These signs provide drivers with helpful information about the road ahead, such as directions to nearby towns, landmarks, or distances to the next service area.
Direction Signs: These signs help drivers navigate to their destination by indicating the direction of towns, cities, or other vital locations.
Tourist Signs: These signs provide information about tourist attractions or landmarks, such as castles, museums, or national parks.
Motorway Signs: These signs are specific to motorways and provide information about exits, services, and emergency procedures.

The Basics of Road Signs UK

While the above categorization of road signs is based on their functionality, road signs in the United Kingdom and many other countries can also be understood based on several factors, such as:

Shapes: The shape of a road sign can give you a clue about its meaning. For example, triangular signs are usually warning signs, circular signs are regulatory signs, and rectangular signs are information or direction signs.
Colours: The colour of a road sign can also give you information about its meaning. Red signs are usually prohibitive or regulatory, while blue signs are usually information or direction signs. Green signs are often used for tourist attractions or landmarks.
Symbols: Many road signs use symbols or pictures to convey their message rather than words. For example, a red circle with a diagonal line through it means “no,” while a speed limit sign features a number inside a red circle.
Words: Some road signs also include written information, such as the name of a town or the distance to a particular destination.
Location: The location of a road sign can also provide clues about its meaning. For example, warning signs are often placed before a hazard, while regulatory signs are usually placed at the point where the regulation applies.

Round Traffic Signs

Round traffic signs in the UK are usually regulatory signs that give drivers specific instructions or prohibitions. Here are some examples of common round traffic signs in the UK:

Give Way Sign: This sign features a red triangle with a white border and indicates that drivers must give way to traffic on the major road.
Stop Sign: This sign features a red octagon with white lettering and indicates that drivers must come to a complete stop at the stop line or crosswalk.
No Entry Sign: This sign features a red circle with a white border and a diagonal line, indicating that drivers are not allowed to enter the road or area.
Roundabout Sign: This sign features a white circle with a red border and black arrows indicating the direction of traffic flow and indicates that drivers are approaching a roundabout.
Maximum Speed Limit Sign: This sign features a white circle with a red border and a black number inside, indicating the maximum speed limit for that road.

Triangle Traffic Signs

Triangle traffic signs in the UK are usually warning signs that are used to alert drivers to potential hazards or dangers on the road ahead. Here are some examples of common triangle traffic signs in the UK:

Sharp Bend to Left/Right Sign: This sign features a yellow triangle with a black border and an arrow pointing left or right, indicating a sharp bend ahead in that direction.
Pedestrian Crossing Sign: This sign features a yellow triangle with a black border and a pedestrian symbol, indicating a pedestrian crossing ahead.
Road Narrows Sign: This sign features a yellow triangle with a black border and two converging lines, indicating that the road ahead will narrow.
Slippery Road Sign: This sign features a yellow triangle with a black border and wavy lines, indicating that the road ahead may be slippery when wet.
Roadworks Sign: This sign features a yellow triangle with a black border and roadworks symbols, indicating roadwork ahead and drivers should be prepared to slow down or stop.

Rectangle Traffic Signs

Rectangle traffic signs in the UK are typically used for information, guidance or direction. Here are some examples of common rectangle traffic signs in the UK:

Route Direction Sign: This sign features a white rectangle with a green border and shows the place’s name, road or route number, and directional arrows indicating the way to go.
Motorway Information Sign: This sign features a blue rectangle with white writing. It provides drivers with information about the motorway they are travelling on, such as the number of lanes and distance to the next exit or service area.
Parking Restriction Sign: This sign features a red rectangle with a white border and provides drivers with information on parking restrictions, such as no parking, no stopping or restricted parking zones.
Tourist Attraction Sign: This sign features a brown rectangle with white writing and provides drivers with information on tourist attractions or destinations such as national parks, castles or museums.
Hospital Sign: This sign features a white rectangle with a blue border and gives drivers directional guidance to the nearest hospital.

Octagon Traffic Signs

Octagon traffic signs in the UK are typically used for regulatory purposes and are usually associated with commands that require mandatory compliance. Here are some examples of common octagon traffic signs in the UK:

Stop Sign: This sign features a red octagon with white writing and instructs drivers to come to a complete stop at the marked line or crosswalk.
Give Way Sign: This sign features a red triangle with a white border on top of an inverted white triangle with a red border, forming a shape resembling an arrow pointing down. This sign instructs drivers to give way to other vehicles approaching from the main road.
No Entry Sign: This sign features a red circle with a white horizontal bar across the middle and a diagonal line running from top left to bottom right, indicating that entry to the area is prohibited.
No U-Turn Sign: This sign features a red circle with a white horizontal bar across the middle and a black curved arrow pointing to the right, indicating that U-turns are prohibited.
No Overtaking Sign: This sign features a red circle with a white horizontal bar across the middle and a black car symbol with another black car symbol behind it. This sign indicates that overtaking is not allowed on the road.

Upside Down Triangle Traffic Signs

In the UK, upside-down triangle traffic signs warn of a potential hazard or danger on the road ahead. Here are some examples of common upside-down triangle traffic signs in the UK:

Give Way to Oncoming Traffic Sign: This sign features an upside-down triangle with a red border and a white background, and an inverted black triangle inside with two arrows pointing towards each other. This sign warns drivers to give way to oncoming traffic when the road narrows.
Traffic Signals Ahead Sign: This sign features an upside-down triangle with a black border, a white background, and an image of traffic lights inside. This sign warns drivers that they are approaching a set of traffic lights.
Low-Flying Aircraft Sign: This sign features an upside-down triangle with a red border, a white background, and an image of an aircraft flying low inside. This sign warns drivers that they are in an area with low-flying aircraft.
Side Winds Sign: This sign features an upside-down triangle with a black border, a white background, and two curved lines with arrows indicating wind direction. This sign warns drivers of potential strong side winds ahead.
Road Humps Sign: This sign features an upside-down triangle with a black border and a white background, and an image of two bumps inside. This sign warns drivers that there are road humps or speed bumps ahead.

Coloured Traffic Signs

In the UK, coloured traffic signs convey various information to drivers. Here are some examples of common coloured traffic signs in the UK and their meanings:

Red Traffic Signs: Red signs indicate prohibitive actions, such as “Stop”, “Do not enter”, “No U-turn”, and “No parking”. They are also used for fire exit signs and emergency stop buttons.
Blue Traffic Signs: Blue signs provide information on road conditions and directions for motorists, such as “Motorway” and “Service area”.
Green Traffic Signs: Green signs are used to guide drivers to specific destinations or facilities, such as “Hospital”, “Tourist attraction”, and “Public telephone”.
Yellow Traffic Signs: Yellow signs are typically used to warn drivers of potential hazards on the road, such as “Slippery road”, “Roadworks ahead”, and “Pedestrian crossing”.
Orange Traffic Signs: Orange signs are used to alert drivers to temporary changes in traffic conditions or construction zones, such as “Temporary road layout”, “Road closed ahead”, and “Lane closed ahead”.
White Traffic Signs: White signs indicate regulatory information or guide drivers, such as “Speed limit”, “No overtaking”, and “Route direction”.
Brown Traffic Signs: Brown signs are used to indicate tourist or recreational facilities, such as “Historical sites”, “Zoo”, and “National parks”.

UK Road Traffic Signs and What They Mean