Sharp Turn Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The yellow diamond with an arrow bent near ninety degrees warns of a turn, sharper than a curve, that cannot be taken anywhere near highway speed. An advisory speed plaque often hangs beneath it; that number is the engineering answer for ideal conditions.
Sharp Turn Sign
The distinction the manuals draw: a turn sign's hard angle means slow dramatically, a curve sign's bend means adjust. The sharper symbol is the road being honest about its geometry.
What to do when you see the sharp turn sign
Brake well before the turn, down to the advisory speed or below, and finish braking before you steer. Through the turn, keep a steady speed and look to the exit; accelerate only when the wheel is unwinding.
The signs it is confused with
Tests pair Turn with Curve, hard angle versus gentle bend, and probe the advisory plaque: the yellow number is a recommendation calibrated for the turn, not the legal limit, and exceeding it in rain moves from unwise toward reckless.
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 sharp turn sign
What does the sharp turn sign mean?
A turn too sharp for anything close to cruising speed is ahead. Slow before it, steer through steadily, accelerate out.
What is the difference between a turn sign and a curve sign?
The angle of the arrow: near-ninety for a turn, a gentle bend for a curve. The sharper arrow demands the bigger speed change.
What does the small speed number under it mean?
The advisory speed for the turn in good conditions. It is a warning value rather than a posted limit, and conditions can make even it too fast.
Why finish braking before steering?
Tires spend grip on one job at a time; braking mid-turn asks for both and can break traction, especially on wet or gravelly pavement.
How are turn warnings tested?
As arrow-shape identification, turn versus curve, and advisory-speed questions about what the yellow number means.