Sign library · Guide & services

INTERSTATE SHIELD

ColorBlue and red
ShapeShield
FamilyGuide & services
Where you see itAlong and approaching interstate highways

What it means

You are on, or being directed to, a numbered interstate. Even numbers run east-west, odd numbers north-south; three-digit numbers are loops and spurs around cities.

What you should do

Use the number and direction plaque to confirm your route. Navigation is the one job of every guide sign: they inform, they never command.

Memory trick

Even = east-west, odd = north-south. I-10 crosses the country; I-5 climbs it.

The mistake drivers make

Confusing route guidance with rules. Guide signs never require anything; if a maneuver is needed for your exit, plan lanes early.

Related signs

Signs that live in the same family, or get confused with this one.

EXIT 25Riverside Dr1 MILE

EXIT SIGN

Green · Horizontal rectangle

MILE124

MILE MARKER

Green · Small vertical rectangle

Keep going.

The library

Every sign, one page each

Browse the full sign library: meanings, memory tricks, and the mistakes to avoid.

Back to the library →
The system

The color and shape codes

One lesson that teaches you to read any sign from its outline alone.

Learn the codes →
All topics

Explore the Learning Center

Six free lessons that cover the whole written test.

See all lessons →

Prefer to study on your phone, in your own language? The same questions live in the app — 19 languages, all 50 states, every answer explained.