Approaching a well-known bottleneck on a busy road, you see a triangular warning sign showing two small rectangles, one behind the other, representing vehicles queuing. What is this sign warning you about?
- That the road ahead is permanently restricted to a single lane because of ongoing roadworks
- That traffic queues are likely to have formed further ahead on this stretch of road, even though you cannot yet see them, so you should ease off your speed, keep a safe following distance and be ready to stop well before any queue comes into view
- That you are approaching a permanent vehicle checkpoint where a queue must always form before you can pass through
- That parking is permitted nose-to-tail on this stretch of road, and the sign simply shows where vehicles may park
Why B? And why not the others?
Correct answer: B. That traffic queues are likely to have formed further ahead on this stretch of road, even though you cannot yet see them, so you should ease off your speed, keep a safe following distance and be ready to stop well before any queue comes into view
The 'traffic queues likely ahead' warning sign, showing two vehicle-like rectangles one behind the other, alerts a driver that stationary or slow-moving traffic may have built up further along the road even though nothing is visible yet from the driver's current position, for example beyond a bend, a hill crest or a known bottleneck. The correct response is to ease off speed in advance, increase the following distance and be prepared to stop well before any queue actually becomes visible, rather than approaching at normal speed and braking late. The option describing a permanent single-lane roadworks restriction invents a specific, permanent cause that this general queue-warning sign, which does not mention roadworks at all, does not state. The option describing a permanent checkpoint fabricates an official stopping point that the sign does not indicate. The option about permitted nose-to-tail parking misreads the symbol entirely, confusing a warning about moving or stopped through-traffic with a parking bay marking, which uses entirely different sign designs.
Source: DfT Know Your Traffic Signs — Warning signs: Traffic queues likely ahead (GOV.UK)