Exit Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The green sign reading EXIT with a number and an angled arrow is the exit gore sign, posted at the point where the ramp separates from the freeway. The arrow points along the ramp, and the number is the exit number, which on most freeways matches the nearest mile marker. The design shown carries an example number.
Exit Sign
The gore is the triangle of pavement between the ramp and the through lanes, and it is the last point at which the exit can be taken. Advance guide signs one and two miles before the exit give the same number so drivers can plan the lane change early rather than at the gore.
What to do when you see the exit sign
Decide well before the gore sign whether you are exiting, and be in the right-hand lane by the time you see it. Never cross the gore or the solid white lines around it, never stop or back up on the freeway if you miss the exit, and never swerve across lanes at the last moment. Take the next exit instead.
The signs it is confused with
Tests pair it with the yellow Exit Only panel, which tells you a lane leaves the freeway whether you want it to or not, and with the green mile marker, whose number matches the exit number on most freeways. The arrow and the word EXIT identify the gore sign.
Signs are one topic of ten on every test
Every state practice test covers signs, signals, and markings among its ten topics, with every answer explained. Pick your state and see how its exam asks about signs like this one; it is free, with no sign-up.
Choose your stateQuestions about the exit sign
What does the exit sign with an arrow mean?
The exit ramp leaves the freeway here, in the direction of the arrow. The number is the exit number, which usually matches the mile marker.
What should I do if I miss my exit?
Continue to the next exit. Stopping, backing up, or swerving across the gore on a freeway is dangerous and illegal.
What is the gore?
The triangular area between the ramp and the through lanes, marked by solid white lines. You may not drive across it.
How do I know the exit is coming?
Advance guide signs one and two miles ahead show the same exit number and destinations. Move to the exit lane after the first one.
How does this sign appear on the written test?
In freeway-driving questions about exiting safely and in guide sign recognition alongside mile markers and exit-only panels.