You see a triangular warning sign with a red border showing a black symbol of a bumpy, wavy road surface. What is this sign warning about, and how should it change your driving?
- The road ahead has a series of speed humps built specifically to slow traffic near a school
- The road surface ahead is uneven or bumpy, so you should slow down to avoid losing control or damaging the vehicle
- The road ahead has a pothole repair crew working, so a temporary lane closure is likely
- The road ahead has a cattle grid built into the surface, so no separate stop is required
Why B? And why not the others?
Correct answer: B. The road surface ahead is uneven or bumpy, so you should slow down to avoid losing control or damaging the vehicle
The wavy-surface symbol inside a red-bordered triangle is a general 'uneven road' warning, used for a stretch where the surface itself, through subsidence, frost damage, worn-out patching, or a naturally rough surface, is bumpy or undulating enough to unsettle a vehicle or driver who is not expecting it; slowing down reduces the risk of losing control, damaging the suspension or tyres, or being thrown off line at an inconvenient moment such as a bend. It is a generic surface-condition warning, not a sign for the deliberately engineered speed humps used in traffic-calming schemes near schools, which are signed and marked differently precisely because they are intentional and expected. It also is not a sign for temporary roadworks, which use their own distinct temporary warning signs and cones rather than this permanent triangle, and it has no connection to a cattle grid, which has its own separate sign and, unlike an uneven surface, does not require a driver to slow down at all.
Source: DfT Know Your Traffic Signs — Warning signs (Uneven road, GOV.UK)