Traffic warning sign

"Warning Sign" redirects here. For other uses, see Warning Sign (disambiguation).
For a sign on a boat or building relating to it or its contents, see Placard. For non-traffic warning signs, see Safety sign.
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Exhibit mostly of warning signs (with some regulatory signs like Do Not Enter) at the Turin Automobile Museum

A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver.[1]

While warning traffic sign designs vary, they usually take the shape of an equilateral triangle with a white background and thick red border. In the People's Republic of China (excluding Macau and Hong Kong) and North Korea, they appear with a black border and a yellow background. In Sweden, Greece, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Cuba, Nigeria, South Korea and Vietnam, they have a red border with an amber background. The polar bear warning sign in Svalbard recently changed from displaying a black bear on white background to a white bear on black background (both signs are triangular with a red border). Some countries (like France, Norway and Spain) that normally use a white background have adopted an orange or amber background for road work or construction signs.

Warning signs in some countries have a diamond shape in place of the standard triangular shape. In the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Liberia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand,[2] most of Central and South America, some countries of Southeast Asia, and also Ireland (diverging from the standards of the rest of Europe) warning signs are black on a yellow background and usually diamond-shaped, while temporary signs (which are typically construction signs) are black on an orange background. Some other countries, like Argentina and Taiwan, use a combination of triangle and diamond-shaped warning signs.

The warning signs usually contain a symbol. In Europe they are based on the UNECE Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. In the United States they are based on the MUTCD standard and often contain text only.

  1. ^ Federal Highway Administration. "Section 1A.13 Definitions of Words and Phrases in This Manual". Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (2003 ed.). Washington, DC. p. 1A–14. Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2009-03-01. Warning Sign—a sign that gives notice to road users of a situation that might not be readily apparent.
  2. ^ "Permanent Warning Signs in New Zealand". Driving Tests Resources. 2013-12-05. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2018-08-19.