India is one of the countries with the highest mortality rate from road accidents. According to estimates, Indian roads witness about 400 accidents every day, killing 3% of the country’s annual GDP and, more importantly, hundreds of lives. In a country with a population like ours, road repairs are virtually impossible. Therefore, it is our responsibility to follow these paths, taking into account the safety of ourselves and others. Proper observance of traffic rules is one of the best ways to do this. To do this, we must first know the rules of road safety and road signs.
What are road signs?
Traffic signs are placed at strategic points on the roads to inform about the basic rules and regulations that must be observed there. They are designed as simple graphical forms of instructions for easy understanding by all. When you get a driver’s license for any vehicle in India, you test your knowledge of all road signs in a written test to make sure you can drive and follow the important rules of the road.
Road signs in India are usually divided into categories Group 3 – mandatory signs, warning signs and information signs. All 3 categories are important and we need to know whether we are driving or not.
In this article, we have compiled a list of all the road signs you can find on Indian roads for easy understanding.
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Mandatory road signs
They are so named because it is important not only to follow them, but also not to ignore them at all. Mandatory symptoms are those that need to be noticed and remembered immediately. Failure to comply with traffic signs may result in problems with the Indian Roads and Traffic Department and may require you to pay a traffic fine for the violation. Mandatory road signs ensure that traffic is not obstructed and that pedestrian safety is restricted on the same road to ensure the safety of pedestrians, that traffic is allowed and not allowed, and so on.
Mandatory traffic signs in India:
| Stop | Do not enter | Give way |
| All cars are prohibited | No motorcycles | No Bicycles |
| No bullock carts | There are no heavy vehicles | One-way traffic |
| Straight forward | There are no cars in either direction | There is no left turn |
| There is no right turn | There is no overtaking | No rotation |
| Height limit | Speed Limit | Weight Limit |
| Length limit | No Parking | Horns are forbidden |
| No Pedestrians | Left curve | Right curve |
| Traffic signals ahead | Cross the level with the obstacle ahead | Uneven road |
| The level ahead is unimpeded | Narrow bridge | A detour ahead |
2. Warning road signs
Warning signs are signs that warn drivers of hazards or factors that could endanger your safety. This will slow you down as you approach a potential danger. All of these symptoms are self-explanatory, so anyone can pay attention to them and keep themselves safe.
The table below lists 20 different warning signs that can be found along the way.
| Lean back to the left | Vertical ascent | Vertical descent | The narrow road |
| Narrow bridge | Slippery road | Empty gravel | Cycling |
| Ahead is the school area | Men at work | Mal | Fallen stones |
| Intersection | The gap in the median | Right path | Left road |
| Road width | Pedestrian crossing | Ferry |
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3. Information road signs
Now these are roadside signs to inform drivers where to park their cars, where to find fuel, food or a hospital. Get Google Maps these days. But as we all know, with or without our smartphones, we can get stuck at any time. So these information road signs are useful when you want to know what and where to find nearby.
We have 18 important information road signs listed in the table for you.
| Parking | Hospital | Gasoline / Gasoline pump |
| Phone | No parking – bus stop | Restaurant |
| Pedestrian crossing | Medical | Railway station |
| Airport | Bus stop | Marina |
| Recreation area | Bicycle lane | One Way |
| Closed area | Park and tour | Police |
Significance of road signs
- Helps manage traffic
- Prevents accidents and saves lives
- Warns of impending danger on the road and driving time
- It protects you from breaking the rules you don’t know and paying fines for them
- Easy navigation
- Helps new drivers find their way easily and frequent newcomers to the area without stopping
In addition to all this, road signs have one very important task – to ensure the safety of everyone on the road, that is, if they are performed correctly. The new Law on Motor Vehicles of 2019 provides for strict rules for violating traffic rules with high fines, which is a good incentive to follow them, if you ask me.
Also read:
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