Michigan DMV Permit Test Sign Shapes, Colors, and Regulatory Signs Summary

This is the DO NOT ENTER sign: a red circle with a white bar on a white square. You are not allowed to enter where it is posted. You often see it at freeway exit ramps, so drivers do not go up the ramp the wrong way.

Wrong choices

• Stop, then go ahead when the way is clear: That is what a STOP sign means. STOP signs are red octagons, not a red circle with a white bar.
• The road is closed for construction ahead: Construction and maintenance signs are orange.
• The road ahead is one-way in your direction: A one-way sign is a black and white arrow sign. This sign forbids entry instead.

A sign's shape is a clue to its meaning. The octagon is used only for the STOP sign, so you can recognize it even from behind or when it is covered with snow.

Wrong choices

• Railroad crossing ahead: The railroad advance warning sign is round.
• YIELD: The YIELD sign is a triangle with its point down.
• School zone: School signs are five-sided (pentagon).

Regulatory signs tell you about specific laws. They control the speed and movement of traffic. They are usually rectangles in white and black, red and white, or red, white, and black.

Wrong choices

• Where to find gas, food, and lodging: Services are shown on blue signs.
• Directions to cities and towns: Directions are given on green guide signs.
• Hazards or changes in the road ahead: That is the job of warning signs, which are usually yellow.

At a STOP sign you must come to a complete stop and check for traffic before you go on. This is required every time, even if no other vehicles are in sight.

Wrong choices

• Tap the horn and go through slowly: The horn does not replace a full stop.
• Slow down and go on if no one is coming: Slowing without stopping is what you may do at a YIELD sign, not a STOP sign.
• Stop only if other vehicles are at the intersection: You must stop every time, even when the road looks empty.

At a YIELD sign, slow down, check for traffic, and be prepared to stop. Let vehicles crossing your path go first. If the way is clear, you may go on without a full stop.

Wrong choices

• Come to a full stop every time: A full stop every time is the rule at a STOP sign. At YIELD you stop only when needed.
• Keep your speed, because other drivers must yield to you: The sign is telling you to give way to others, not the other way around.
• Stop only when a pedestrian is waiting: You must yield to vehicles as well as pedestrians.

Red on a sign means stop or not allowed. A red circle with a slash across a U-turn arrow means U-turns are prohibited at this place.

Wrong choices

• U-turns are allowed when no traffic is coming: A red circle and slash forbids the action at all times, not only when traffic is present.
• Keep to the left of the island ahead: A keep-left sign shows an arrow passing an obstacle and has no red circle or slash.
• The road ahead has a sharp hairpin curve: Curve warnings are yellow diamond signs, not white signs with a red circle.

Sign colors carry meaning. Red means stop, prohibited, or forbidden. That is why STOP, YIELD, DO NOT ENTER, and the circle-and-slash symbol all use red.

Wrong choices

• Services such as gas or lodging: That is blue.
• Places of recreation or cultural interest: That is brown.
• Caution for construction or maintenance work: That is orange.

Red on a sign means prohibited or forbidden. When a red circle and slash cover a symbol, such as a turn arrow or a truck, the action shown is not allowed at that place.

Wrong choices

• The action shown is allowed only at night: The sign gives no time limit; it forbids the action.
• The action shown is allowed if you are careful: Red means stop or prohibited, so the action is not allowed at all.
• The action shown is recommended: A recommendation would not use the red prohibition symbol.

This is the NO RIGHT TURN sign. The red circle and slash over a right-turn arrow mean right turns are prohibited here, whatever color the light shows. Go straight or turn left if that is allowed.

Wrong choices

• Turn right only once the light turns green: The sign does not depend on the light. Right turns are not allowed here on any color.
• Turn right after a full stop if the way is clear: That is the normal right turn on red. This sign bans right turns at this corner completely.
• Turn right only if no pedestrians are in the crosswalk: Pedestrians do not change the rule. The turn itself is prohibited.

Normally you may turn right on red after a full stop, yielding to traffic and pedestrians. A NO TURN ON RED sign prohibits that. You must wait for the green light before turning.

Wrong choices

• Turn only if the car behind you honks: Other drivers' horns never change the rule.
• Turn if no pedestrians are in the crosswalk: The sign forbids the turn on red whether or not people are crossing.
• Stop fully, then turn if the way is clear: That is allowed only where turning on red is not banned. This sign bans it.