Regulatory signs

ICBC's driving guide: Signs, signals and road markings

Regulatory signs state driving law. Ignoring one is an offence under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act — unlike a warning sign, which advises, a regulatory sign commands, and penalties follow.

The two most important ones behave differently:

Stop — come to a complete stop, then continue only when it is safe. "Complete" means the wheels stop turning.
Yield — give the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians crossing. You may not have to stop, but you must be ready to.

The rest of this card is in the learning area. Go to the learning area

Practice questions on this card

Q-0002What does the sign shown require of you?
Q-0007You are on a road posted with the sign shown. Heavy rain has cut visibility and the pavement is streaming with water. What does the sign tell you about your speed?
Q-0017What distinguishes a regulatory sign from a warning sign?
Q-0018The sign shown is most often mounted where?
Q-0019A sign requires winter tires or chains. When does that requirement apply?
Q-0020You are travelling noticeably slower than the traffic around you on a two-lane highway with the sign shown. What does the sign require?
Q-0037You see the sign shown. Over what stretch of road does it apply?
Q-0038You are on a city street with the sign shown. Traffic around you is moving at 65 km/h. What speed does the sign permit?
Q-0039You are looking for a highway on-ramp and see the sign shown at the mouth of a ramp. What does it mean?
Q-0040On a divided highway with the sign shown, when may you use the left lane?
Q-0041The sign shown states a distance. What does that distance describe?
Q-0048A regulatory sign marks a road as a disaster response route, closed during major disasters. Who may use it then?
Q-0049On a two-lane highway a sign tells slow traffic delaying five vehicles to use a pullout. What does that require of you if five cars are behind you?
Q-0060Compare the two signs shown. How does the sign on the left differ from the speed limit sign on the right?
Q-0061The sign shown is mounted at an intersection. What does it tell you?
Q-0062You see the sign shown. Which family of signs does it belong to, and what follows from that?
Q-0085The sign shown is posted at a bridge. Who does it apply to?
Q-0086The sign shown requires you to keep right of a divider. What is a divider in this context?
Q-0087You meet an unfamiliar sign: an orange diamond you have never seen the symbol on. What is the safest reading?
Q-0090At an intersection with the sign shown, when may you turn right?
Q-0098A no-stopping sign shows posted times. What are you permitted to do outside those times?
Q-0100The two signs shown stand at the same spot and give different limits. Which governs?
Q-0502A white regulatory sign shows a black arrow pointing straight up, with a second arrow branching off it into a new lane on the right. What does it tell you?
Q-0505You see the sign shown. What does it tell you?
Q-0506You see the white sign shown beside a two-lane highway. What does it require of you?
Q-0507You have just turned onto a ramp and the sign shown faces you. What should you do?
Q-0508A sign beside a two-lane highway reads SLOW VEHICLES USE PULLOUTS, with NEXT 10 km on the line below. You are driving slower than the traffic behind you. What does the sign ask of you?
Q-0509You see the sign shown on a two-lane highway. What does the 500 m tell you?
Q-0510You are driving slowly on a two-lane highway with a line of vehicles behind you, and you see the sign shown. What can you do here?
Q-0511You are driving slowly and vehicles are lining up behind you. You pass a sign that reads SLOW TRAFFIC DELAYING VEHICLES USE PULLOUTS. What does it ask of you?