This section covers guidance, information, regulatory, and warning signs for your South African learner’s license test.
Road sign groupings
K53 road signs get grouped into the following categories:
- Guidance and information signs.
- Regulatory signs.
- Warning signs.
- Temporary signs
Guidance and information signs
Guidance and information signs get grouped as follows:
- Location signs.
- Route marker signs.
- Direction signs.
- Tourism signs.
- Diagrammatic signs.
- Information signs.
Location signs
- Display the name of the place you have reached or are about to arrive.
- Some signs are grouped with a symbol to indicate the type of location.
![k53 location signs](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Location-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Route marker signs
These signs indicate a particular route or the direction you need to travel to get to a specific route.
![k53 route marker signs](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-route-marker-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Direction signs
- Indicate the direction to places and routes.
- Many of these signs are combinations of several directions and route marker signs.
![k53 direction](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-direction-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Tourism signs
Give you direction and information as a tourist on places of interest, services or rest facilities.
![K53 tourism signs](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/K53-toursim-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Diagrammatic signs
Indicate the pattern of traffic lanes ahead of you or important instructional information. The below sign instructs heavy goods vehicles to engage a lower gear.
![k53 diagrammatic](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-diagrammatic-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Information signs
Display general information. The sign below indicates that a turn to the left leads to a dead end.
![k53 information](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-information-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Regulatory road signs
Regulatory road signs are categorised as follows:
- Control signs.
- Command signs.
- Prohibition and limit signs.
- Reservation signs.
- Exclusive secondary signs.
- Comprehensive signs.
- De-restriction signs.
Control signs
Control the actions of a driver. The stop sign is an example of a control sign. You must bring your vehicle to a complete stop when you see a stop sign
![k53 control signs](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-control-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Command signs
- You must follow the indication for an action that the driver must take.
- This sign indicates you must travel at a minimum speed of 50km/h.
![K53 command](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/K53-command-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Prohibition & limitation signs
- Prohibit you from performing specific actions.
- These signs instruct you on the limits that must be adhered to.
- In this example, the sign is a regulatory limit sign limiting drivers to a speed of 100km/h.
![k53 prohibition and limitation](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-prohibition-and-limitation-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Reservation signs
Indicate that the roadway, lane or parking area used is for certain classes of vehicles only.
![k53 reservation signs](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-reservation-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Exclusive secondary signs
- These signs are grouped with any regulatory sign to indicate that it applies only to that situation.
- In this example, the exclusive secondary sign is the motorcycle illustration. It’s grouped with a regulatory limit sign.
- The signs indicate you must drive at a speed limit of 100km/h if riding a motorcycle.
![k53 exclusive secondary](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-exclusive-secondary-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Comprehensive signs
- Comprehensive signs indicate that you are about to enter a roadway or area governed by a complete set of rules.
- This sign indicates you are entering a residential area and that children may be at play.
![k53 comprehensive](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-comprehensive-road-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
De-restriction signs
De-restriction signs indicate that you are about to exit a roadway or area governed by a comprehensive set of rules.
![K53 de-restriction](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Road-Markings.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Warning signs
Warning signs are categorised as follows:
- The direction of travel signs.
- Symbolic signs.
- Hazard warning markers.
- Road layout signs.
The direction of travel signs
- Indicate the direction of travel that lies ahead by using arrows. You can see from the indicators that the direction of travel is circular.
- In this example, the sign indicates a warning to you that there is a roundabout ahead.
![k53 direction of travel](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-direction-of-travel-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Symbolic signs
- Use symbols to indicate the nature of what lies ahead of you.
- In this example, the symbol used is a control sign (stop).
- The warning sign indicates there is a stop street ahead of you. This way, you are not taken by surprise by a sudden stop.
![K53 symbolic](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/K53-symbolic-road-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Hazard warning markers
- These markers enhance driver safety and get placed near a hazard indicating the position of the danger.
- In this example, the risk is to the left.
![k53 hazard warning markers](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/k53-hazard-warning-markers.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Road layout signs
- Indicate the layout of the road ahead.
- In this example, the sign warns you that the two-lane road you are travelling will begin to split.
![K53 road layout](https://b2333234.smushcdn.com/2333234/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/K53-road-layout-signs.png?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)