Beginner Driver Education · Rules of the Road

Comprehensive Guide to Information and Direction Signs

Driviology Road Safety Education Team

What this actually means for you

Rules like this are not trivia for the written test. They decide what you do in the two or three seconds when there is no time to think. The arrows matching the exit lanes are shown on the advance sign in a yellow box with the word ‘exit' under them. Learn it as a habit now, not as a fact to recall, because at a real intersection there is only time for the habit.

Information and Direction Signs | Rules of the Road

Information and Direction Signs

Shows directions to nearby towns and cities.

 

Shows the distances in kilometres to towns and cities on the road.

Various exit signs are used on freeways. In urban areas, many exit ramps have more than one lane. Overhead and ground-mounted signs help drivers choose the correct lane to exit or stay on the freeway.

Advance signs use arrows to show which lanes lead off the freeway. Signs are also posted at the exit.

Sometimes one or more lanes may lead off the freeway. The arrows matching the exit lanes are shown on the advance sign in a yellow box with the word ‘exit' under them.

 

Freeway interchanges or exits have numbers that correspond to the distance from the beginning of the freeway. For example, interchange number 204 on Highway 401 is 204 kilometres from Windsor, where the freeway begins. Distances can be calculated by subtracting one interchange number from another.

 

The term 'VIA' is used to describe the roads that must be followed to reach a destination.

 

Shows the upcoming roundabout exits and where they will take you.

These signs change according to traffic conditions to give drivers current information on delays and lane closures ahead.

 

Shows off-road facilities such as hospitals, airports, universities or carpool lots.

Shows route to passenger railway station.

 

Shows route to airport.

 

Shows facilities that are accessible by wheelchair.

 

D sign – Oversize load

 

Using this on Ontario roads — and on your road test

This is not just written-test material. The same rules are scored live on your G2 and G road tests, and most of them come up in the first five minutes: stops, turns, lane use, and right-of-way at ordinary intersections. In the GTA you will meet the full set quickly — HOV lanes on the 401 and QEW, reserved streetcar and bus lanes downtown, school zones with reduced limits, and construction signage that changes a road week to week. Learn the rule as a behaviour, not a definition, and it will still be working for you years after the test.

Questions drivers ask us

Can you explain information and direction signs in simple terms?

Freeway interchanges or exits have numbers that correspond to the distance from the beginning of the freeway.

What happens if I get this wrong on the road?

It depends on the rule, but traffic offences in Ontario can bring a fine and demerit points, and they stay on your driving record. For new drivers the stakes are higher — repeat or serious offences can lead to a licence suspension, on top of what they do to your insurance.

Do I need to know this for the G1 written test too?

Yes — this is core G1 knowledge, and it is tested again in real life on the G2 and G road tests. The written test checks that you know the rule; the road test checks that you actually do it when nobody is prompting you.