Wrong Way sign
May supplement Do Not Enter signs and is placed farther along the one-way road or ramp, facing a driver who has already entered in the wrong direction.
What to do
If you see this sign facing you, you are going the wrong way. Pull over safely, turn around when you can do so safely, and go back.
If a WRONG WAY sign is facing you, slow down, pull to the nearest shoulder, and turn around only when it is safe, or call for help on a freeway.
Where it's used
Section 2B.47 allows WRONG WAY as a supplement to DO NOT ENTER where a crossroad meets a one-way road in a way that does not physically prevent wrong-way entry. It should be placed farther along the one-way road than the DO NOT ENTER sign, on the same side, and may be mounted lower along exit ramps to catch the eye of a wrong-way driver. It is a horizontal red rectangle with white WRONG WAY letters, commonly 36 x 24 inches (Table 2B-1), and LEDs may be added to make it more conspicuous.
Don't confuse it with
- Do Not Enter: DO NOT ENTER is the square sign at the point of entry; WRONG WAY is the rectangle you see after you have already entered the wrong way.
- One Way (horizontal): ONE WAY shows the correct direction with an arrow, while WRONG WAY tells you that you are going against it.
- Type
- Regulatory signs
- Shape
- Horizontal rectangle
- Colors
- red, white
- MUTCD code
- R5-1a
- MUTCD section
- 2B.47
On state permit tests
Our questions for 21 states ask about this sign, including Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut and Florida.
Test yourself
What does a white-on-red WRONG WAY sign mean? (Alabama practice test)
- Road closed
- Stop ahead
- Detour
- You are approaching a one-way road or ramp from the wrong direction
Show answer
You are approaching a one-way road or ramp from the wrong direction. It warns you are approaching a one-way highway or ramp from the wrong direction.
A white-on-red WRONG WAY sign may be placed: (Alaska practice test)
- At the start of a one-way street going the right way
- Further down a prohibited direction past a DO NOT ENTER sign
- At every intersection
- On school buses
Show answer
Further down a prohibited direction past a DO NOT ENTER sign. A WRONG WAY sign may be placed further down the prohibited direction, beyond the DO NOT ENTER sign.
More regulatory signs
Stop
All-Way plaque
Yield
Yield Here to Pedestrians
In-Street Pedestrian Crossing
Speed Limit
Night Speed Limit
Combined Maximum and Minimum Speed LimitsFrom the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 11th edition, section 2B.47. Sign image: public domain, source.