What do these road signs show?

Explanation

In 150–300 metres beyond the sign the road narrows from the right, and that narrowing continues for 100 metres.

Two elements must be read separately. The red-bordered triangle above is the warning sign for "road narrows from the right", and the plate beneath it, with the figure 100 m and arrows pointing to its two ends, shows the length of the hazardous section, not the distance to it. The distance is set by the general rule of placement: outside built-up areas, warning signs are posted 150 to 300 metres before the hazard. The picture confirms this — an open intercity road, mountains on the horizon, and a works site still some way ahead of you.

The main trap is here: many read the figure on the plate as "in another 100 metres". To tell them apart, look at the shape of the arrow; a plate announcing the distance to a hazard has one arrow pointing up, whereas a plate whose arrows mark the two ends of an interval is speaking about the length of that interval.

Knowing the length of the narrowing is not merely a point of memory; it drives decisions. When you know the constriction is 100 metres, you realise overtaking within it is pointless and it is better to stay behind the vehicle ahead and reduce speed before entering. Narrowing from the right means the space to your right shrinks; if a vehicle is alongside you, room to manoeuvre will be tight for both of you.

• This option takes the figure on the plate as the distance to the hazardous section rather than its length. If the plate really stated a distance, its arrow would be single and pointing up, and it would then give you no information at all about the length of the constriction.

Sources and content coverage · Report a content error