This road sign warns that ahead there is:

Explanation

A place where the road comes out onto an embankment or shore.

The image inside the red triangle shows a vehicle going over the edge of a vertical wall towards water. This sign warns that the road ahead ends at an embankment, quay or shore; that is, a place where the carriageway surface suddenly ends and immediately beyond it is water or a drop.

The safety reason for the sign is direct: at such a place there is usually no continuous, reliable barrier, the markings do not show the edge well at night either, and in rain and fog the water surface is mistaken for the continuation of the road. A small error in braking or steering here is irreversible, because the vehicle enters the water and rescuing the occupants is extremely difficult. On seeing this sign you must reduce speed, avoid overtaking and unnecessary manoeuvres, and at night keep away from the edge of the carriageway.

The exam point is that several other triangular signs also involve water, and that is what causes confusion. Take the difference from the main element of the image: if a vehicle is falling over an edge into water, the subject is an embankment or shore; if a bridge span is raised, the subject is a movable bridge; and if a boat is shown, a ferry crossing is involved.

• This description relates to a ferry crossing with no bridge, which has a separate sign showing a boat, not a vehicle falling over an edge. • The movable bridge sign shows the bridge itself with its span raised; there is no bridge at all in this image.

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