Pedestrians ahead sign
People often cross the road here on foot, so slow down and look out for them.
- Group
- Warning signs
- The group at a distance
- Diamond, standing on one point, with no exceptions in this group. Yellow ground, black symbol.
- Does this group carry the law
- Not enforceable on its own. It changes nothing about right of way.
- In the sign deck
- 3 questions ask about this sign
What to do when you see it
In the order you do it, from the moment the sign comes into view.
- Slow down and scan both footpaths, not just the road surface.
- Cover the brake through the length the sign covers.
- Give way to anyone already crossing, whether or not there is a marked crossing.
- Expect people to cross where it is convenient rather than where it is marked.
Where you see it
Near shopping strips, sporting grounds, station entrances, caravan parks and beach access points, and on roads where people cross between a car park and a destination.
Across the states and territories
National in use. In tourist areas, and on beach roads in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, this sign often marks a place where visitors cross unpredictably, which is a different reading of the same artwork.
Tell it apart from these
Both signs at the same size, next to each other, with the one line that separates them. These are the pairs people mix up under time pressure.
- Pedestrians aheadthis pagePedestrian crossing
The warning says people cross around here. The regulatory sign marks the crossing where you must give way.
Pedestrian crossing: You must give way to any pedestrian on the crossing and be ready to stop before it.
- Pedestrians aheadthis pageChildren ahead
The children version tells you the pedestrians are small, less predictable and easily hidden by parked cars.
Children ahead: Children may be near or on the road here, so slow down and be ready for them to step out.
How the knowledge tests use it
Questions usually check that you know a warning sign does not create a right of way, and that the give way rules still decide who goes.
A real question from the sign deckWhat does this sign mean?
A yellow diamond with a walking figure warns you about people on foot in the area. It is a warning, not a marked crossing.
State and territory driver handbooks, warning signs
Try it in a question
The sign tests draw the artwork above the question and ask what it means, which is closer to the way you meet a sign on the road than reading a page about it. They are original questions written for this site rather than an agency's published bank.
More warning signs
Yellow diamond with a black symbol.