Sign library · Regulatory

WRONG WAY

ColorRed
ShapeHorizontal rectangle
FamilyRegulatory
Where you see itA short distance into one-way roads and ramps

What it means

You are already driving against traffic. This sign appears after a missed DO NOT ENTER, as the last warning before oncoming cars.

What you should do

Do not continue and do not speed up to "get through." Pull over safely, stop, and turn around when it is safe. Every second you continue, you are in someone’s lane.

Memory trick

DO NOT ENTER guards the door; WRONG WAY means you are already inside the wrong house.

The mistake drivers make

Panicking and reversing at speed, or continuing forward hoping for an exit. The right move is calm: stop at the edge, assess, turn around.

Related signs

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

DO NOTENTER

DO NOT ENTER

Red and white · Square with a red circle

 ONE WAY

ONE WAY

Black and white · Horizontal rectangle with arrow

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.