Wrong Way Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The red rectangle reading WRONG WAY is the second and final warning that you are driving against traffic. It is posted beyond the Do Not Enter sign on exit ramps and one-way streets, placed for a driver who has already entered from the wrong end.
Wrong Way Sign
By the time this sign faces you, every vehicle on the road ahead is coming toward you. It exists because wrong-way freeway crashes are among the deadliest in the country, and the seconds after seeing it decide the outcome.
What to do when you see the wrong way sign
Stop immediately, as far to the side as you safely can, and turn on your hazard lights. Turn around or back out the way you came before continuing. Never drive on hoping for a place to turn later; distance traveled the wrong way multiplies the danger.
The signs it is confused with
Tests pair it with Do Not Enter, which faces you at the mouth of the roadway before you enter; Wrong Way confirms the mistake after it. Both are red, both mean the road is against you, and the pair in sequence means stop and reverse course now.
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 wrong way sign
What does the wrong way sign mean?
You are traveling against traffic on a one-way roadway or ramp. Stop immediately, pull aside, and turn around or back out before continuing.
Where are wrong way signs posted?
A short distance inside exit ramps and one-way streets, beyond the Do Not Enter sign, positioned to catch a driver who entered from the wrong end anyway.
What is the difference between Wrong Way and Do Not Enter?
Do Not Enter faces you before you enter and prohibits entry. Wrong Way faces you after entry and tells you the mistake has been made: stop and reverse course now.
What should I do the moment I see it?
Stop, move to the edge, hazard lights on, and turn around or back out. Every second of continuing forward closes the distance with oncoming traffic.
How does the wrong way sign appear on the written test?
As recognition of the red rectangle and as the paired sequence with Do Not Enter, usually in a ramp scenario asking for the correct immediate response.