Road signs that everyone should know
Road signs in India are similar to those used in some parts of the United Kingdom, except that place names may be multilingual and signs are metric.
Road symbols are the pictorial representations having the different necessary information required to be understood by every road user. Whether a person on the vehicle or a pedestrian, a sound knowledge of traffic signs is a must. Being aware of the road signs will help you to recognize the meaning and importance of each and every sign such as where you can stop or park your vehicle, road conditions ahead, speed limits, major crossroads or at the junctions etc. A proper warnings and guidance for the drivers is very important for a safe driving.
Most urban roads and state highways have signs in the state language and English. National highways have signs in the state language, Hindi and English.
In 2012, the Tourism department of Kerala announced plans to upgrade road signs in the state to include maps of nearby hospitals. The Noida Authority announced plans to replace older signboards with new fluorescent signage.
There are three type of road signs -
Mandatory/Regulatory Signs - These signs are circular and show rules and regulations.
Cautionary/Warning Signs - These signs are triangular.
Informatory Signs - These signs are rectangular.
There are two additional sign boards:
Give Way (shape is an upside-down triangle)
Stop (shape is an octagon).
A circle with a slash shows prohibited activities and circles without slashes show rules. Triangles are pointy and show risks. Blue circles show positive Instructions and are there for a particular classes of vehicles. Otherwise, the regular color of sign boards is red and white.
Mandatory Signs
Signs that give orders. These are represented by red circles
Cautionary Signs
Signs that give warnings. These are represented by red triangles
Informative Signs
Signs that give information. These are represented by blue rectangles
