Which sign indicates the direction of travel at aT-junction?

Explanation

Sign 2; a red rectangular panel with white arrows pointing left and right.

Sign 2 is a rectangular panel with a red field and a row of white arrows pointing both left and right. This panel is mounted facing the driver at the end of the stem of a T-junction; that is, exactly where the road ahead ends and the only continuation is to the left or right. Its message is directional: from here on there is no way to go straight.

The safety reason is visibility at night and in bad weather. The end of a road is the most dangerous kind of road ending; if the driver realises too late, he goes straight out of the junction. The red field and reflective white arrows are visible from a great distance and before the vehicle's headlights pick up the markings, giving the driver time to reduce speed. That is why this panel is usually mounted together with a warning sign.

The exam trap is confusing "showing a direction" with "prescribing a direction". A blue circular sign gives an order about movement and can be posted anywhere; the red arrow panel belongs specifically to the point where the road ends. If you take the geometric shape of the sign as your criterion — a red rectangle versus a blue circle — this question is solved in seconds.

• Sign 1 is a blue circle with left and right arrows; this mandatory sign prescribes the permitted direction of travel and can be posted at any junction, so it is not specific to a T-junction. • Sign 3 is a warning triangle announcing a minor road joining from the left; in that case you are on the through road and your road does not end. • Sign 4 announces a dead end; a dead end means the road has no continuation at all, whereas at a T-junction the route continues left and right. • Sign 5 is a blue circle with two diverging arrows and relates to passing an obstacle on either side; its subject is an obstacle on the carriageway, not the end of a road at a junction.

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