Regulatory signs in Australia: all 15 explained

Regulatory signs carry the law. What they say is enforceable, whether that is stopping at a line, giving way, keeping out of a lane or leaving the kerb clear. If you are unsure whether a sign is advice or an instruction, the red circle and the black on white plate are the shapes that mean you have no choice.

Recognising one at a distance

Four facts that sort this group from the other four before the legend on the sign is readable.

Shape: Mostly round, or a rectangular plate. Stop is the one octagon in the whole group and give way the one triangle
Colours: Usually white with a red ring or bar and a black legend. A few, like the shared path sign, are white on blue
Does it carry the law: Enforceable. Disobeying one is an offence in itself.
What to ask yourself: What am I being told I must or must not do, right now?

All 15 regulatory signs

Select a sign for the full page: what to do, where you see it, what changes between the states and territories, and the signs it gets mixed up with.

Pairs inside this group that get mixed up

Drawn at the same size, next to each other, which is the way the difference is actually learned. 15 pairs in this group.

Stop Give way
A give way sign lets you keep rolling if the road is clear. A stop sign never does, even at an empty intersection at night.
Give way Roundabout
At a roundabout you give way to vehicles already circulating, which is a narrower rule than the general give way sign.
No entry One way
One way tells you the direction traffic travels on that road. No entry tells you that you cannot join it here at all.
No entry No left turn
A no turn sign bans one movement at an intersection. No entry bans the whole road ahead of you.
One way Keep left
Keep left points you around an obstruction. One way sets the direction of the whole street.
Keep left Roundabout
The roundabout sign also tells you to pass to the left of something, but it applies to a whole intersection with its own give way rule.
No U turn No right turn
A no right turn sign still lets you turn back at the next legal point. No U turn bans the turn back specifically, and a right turn may still be allowed.
No U turn No entry
No U turn restricts one manoeuvre. No entry closes the road.
No left turn No right turn
Same face, mirrored arrow. Read the arrow rather than the shape, because the two look almost identical at speed.
No left turn No U turn
The U turn version has a curled arrow that doubles back. The turn versions have a single bend.
No parking No stopping
This is the pair people get wrong most often. No parking allows a brief stop with you in the car. No stopping allows nothing at all.
No parking Bus lane
A bus lane restricts who may drive in the lane. No parking restricts what you may do once you have stopped.
No stopping Bus lane
Stopping in a bus lane is a lane rule. No stopping applies to every vehicle and to every part of the road it covers.
Bus lane One way
Some bus lanes run against the general traffic direction on a one way street, which is why the two signs sometimes appear together.
Shared path Pedestrian crossing
A shared path sign marks a length of path. A pedestrian crossing sign marks a place where people cross the road and you must give way.

The group as a study list

The same signs without the artwork, so the whole group can be read straight through or printed and taken away from the screen.

Every regulatory sign and its meaning
Sign	What it means	Questions in the deck
Stop	Come to a complete stop at the line, then give way to all traffic and pedestrians before moving off.	3
Give way	Slow down and be ready to stop so you can give way to any traffic or pedestrians already there.	3
No entry	You must not drive past this sign into the road ahead.	3
One way	Traffic on this road travels in the direction of the arrow only.	3
Keep left	Pass on the left side of the sign, so keep to the left of the island or divider ahead.	3
No U turn	You must not make a U turn at this intersection or along this length of road.	3
No left turn	You must not turn left at this intersection.	3
No right turn	You must not turn right at this intersection.	3
Roundabout	Drive around the roundabout to the left of the central island and give way to any vehicle already in it.	3
No overtaking	You must not overtake another vehicle on this length of road.	3
No parking	You may stop here briefly to drop off or pick up people or goods, but you must not park and leave the vehicle.	3
No stopping	You must not stop here at all, not even for a moment, unless there is an emergency.	3
Bus lane	This lane is for buses during the times shown, so other vehicles must keep out of it.	3
Shared path	People walking and people riding bicycles both use this path, so ride slowly and give way to those on foot.	3
Pedestrian crossing	You must give way to any pedestrian on the crossing and be ready to stop before it.	3

45 of the questions in the sign deck ask about a sign in this group. They are original questions written for this site, not an agency's published bank. The whole library is also on one page as a study sheet built to print.

Put it in front of yourself

Reading a sign page and recognising the sign at speed are different skills. The sign test draws the artwork above the question, which is closer to the second one.

The other sign groups

Sorting a sign by its shape and colour before you read it is the skill worth building.

Warning signsYellow diamond with a black symbol. 19 signs.Speed limit signsA number in a red circle on a white plate. 9 signs.Guide and service signsGreen for routes and directions, blue for services. 6 signs.Roadwork signsOrange plate with a black legend or symbol. 5 signs.

Check the sign in front of you

Signs on the road carry plates, times and exceptions that a library page cannot show, and some of the rules behind them are set by each state and territory rather than nationally. Your agency's handbook is the authority on the rules you are tested on.