Road sign colors and regulatory signs

Key points

1. Red signs mean stop, do not enter, wrong way or yield. White and black signs are regulatory.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “Red: Stop. Do not enter. Wrong way. Yield. White/Black: Regulatory. Control traffic, set limits or give commands.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 46

2. Orange means construction and maintenance warning. Green means guide or direction information.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “Orange: Construction and maintenance warning. Green: Guide or directional information.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 46

3. Fluorescent yellow green signs give a high emphasis warning of school, pedestrian and bicycle activity.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “Flourescent Yellow Green: High emphasis warning of school, pedestrian and bicycling activity.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 46

4. On green guide signs, east-west routes have even numbers and north-south routes have odd numbers.

   Source: Handbook p. 46

   “East-West routes have even numbers and North-South have odd numbers.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 46

5. At a stop sign, stop at the stop line, or before the crosswalk or intersection if there is none.

   Source: Handbook p. 47

   “Stop before the stop line, or if there is no stop line, before the crosswalk or intersection”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

6. At an all-way stop, vehicles go through in the order they arrived.

   Source: Handbook p. 47

   “Vehicles proceed through the intersection in the order that they arrived; the first vehicle to reach the intersection should move forward first.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

7. A yield sign means slow down and give crossing vehicles the right of way. If clear, you may go without stopping.

   Source: Handbook p. 47

   “Yield. Slow down. Give vehicles crossing your path the right-of-way. If the way is clear, you may move forward slowly without stopping.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

8. A WRONG WAY sign means you are going the wrong way. Turn around immediately.

   Source: Handbook p. 47

   “Wrong Way. You are going the wrong way. Turn around immediately.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

9. A red circle with a red slash shows what you are not allowed to do.

   Source: Handbook p. 47

   “NO symbol. Red circle with red slash. The sign shows what you are not allowed to do.”
   Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

10. A Speeding Fines Doubled sign is posted in active school and work zones.

    Source: Handbook p. 47

    “Speeding Fines Doubled. Posted in active school and work zones.”
    Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Handbook p. 47

Recognize these signs

3 questions from the Florida practice test

1. 1. Where should a driver stop for a Florida STOP sign?

   1. After entering the crosswalk
   2. Before the stop line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line
   3. Only after crossing the intersection
   4. At any point beyond the sign with a clear view
   Show answer

   Before the stop line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line. A Florida STOP sign requires a complete halt before the stop line. If no stop line exists, stop before the crosswalk or, if there is no crosswalk, at a point near the intersecting roadway that gives a clear view of approaching traffic. Stopping after entering the crosswalk can endanger pedestrians, and waiting beyond the intersection is too late. Look for the marked stopping point before rolling forward.

2. 2. What action does a Florida YIELD sign require?

   1. Slow down and give vehicles crossing your path the right-of-way
   2. Accelerate to enter before other traffic
   3. Stop every time even when the way is clear
   4. Turn around before reaching the intersection
   Show answer

   Slow down and give vehicles crossing your path the right-of-way. A YIELD sign requires the driver to slow down and give right-of-way to vehicles crossing the intended path. If the way is clear, the handbook permits moving forward slowly without stopping, so a complete stop is not automatic. Accelerating would reverse the sign's purpose, and turning around is unrelated. Scan across the path first, then proceed only when the crossing traffic has been given priority.

3. 3. If a WRONG WAY sign is facing you, what does it tell you about your vehicle's direction?

   
   1. Trucks must use a different lane ahead
   2. The roadway ahead has a rough surface
   3. You are traveling against the permitted direction and should turn around immediately
   4. A legal passing zone is beginning
   Show answer

   You are traveling against the permitted direction and should turn around immediately. A WRONG WAY sign means the vehicle has entered a roadway in the prohibited direction. The handbook directs the driver to turn around immediately, but that maneuver must still be made safely and legally. The rough-surface choice confuses a directional command with a roadway warning, and the truck choice has no connection to the sign. Seeing this red message is an urgent cue to stop following the route and correct direction before meeting opposing traffic.

Source: the Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Traffic Controls. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.