You approach a triangular sign with a red border showing the black silhouette of a person digging with a shovel, positioned before a stretch of single-lane traffic marked off by cones. Under Highway Code Rule 288, what must you do?
- Take extra care, look out for further signs giving more specific instructions, obey any temporary maximum speed limit shown, and do not switch lanes to overtake queuing traffic or drive into the area marked off by the cones
- Treat the sign as advisory only, since roadworks signs impose no legal obligations unless a police officer is present directing traffic
- Come to a complete stop at the sign itself and wait for a works vehicle to wave you through before proceeding
- Increase speed briefly to clear the coned-off section before oncoming traffic reaches it, since roadworks signs only warn of delay, not of any specific hazard
Why A? And why not the others?
Correct answer: A. Take extra care, look out for further signs giving more specific instructions, obey any temporary maximum speed limit shown, and do not switch lanes to overtake queuing traffic or drive into the area marked off by the cones
The triangular sign showing a person digging is the standard roadworks-ahead warning, and Highway Code Rule 288 spells out the practical response: take extra care, watch for further signs that give more specific instructions about lane closures or diversions, never exceed any temporary maximum speed limit that is displayed, and do not switch lanes to overtake queuing traffic or drive into an area marked off by cones. The option treating the sign as advisory only, with no obligation absent a police officer, misstates the law: a temporary maximum speed limit at roadworks is legally binding on its own, and driving into a coned-off area is prohibited by the rule regardless of whether anyone is there enforcing it. The option requiring a complete stop at the sign itself invents an instruction the sign does not give; a warning triangle tells you a hazard is coming, it does not by itself require stopping, unless a separate stop sign, red light, or works vehicle indicates otherwise. The option suggesting a speed increase to 'beat' oncoming traffic through the coned section is the opposite of the required response and directly contradicts the rule's instruction to take extra care and observe any temporary limit.
Source: GOV.UK, The Highway Code — Rule 288 (road works) and Traffic signs (roadworks ahead)