Cattle Crossing Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The yellow diamond with a cow silhouette warns that livestock cross or wander onto the road ahead. It appears in ranch and open-range country where cattle are moved across a road or graze beside it with no fence between them and the pavement.
Cattle Crossing Sign
Cattle are large, slow, and unpredictable, and in open-range areas the law often puts the burden on the driver to avoid them. At night they are nearly invisible until the headlights reach them, so the sign is a reason to reduce speed after dark even more than in daylight.
What to do when you see the cattle crossing sign
Slow down, scan both shoulders, and be ready to stop for animals on or near the road. If a herd is being driven across, stop and wait for the rider or handler to signal you through; do not honk or push into the animals. Where you see one animal, expect more.
The signs it is confused with
Tests group it with the Deer Crossing and Horse Crossing signs, all yellow diamonds with an animal silhouette. The deer is leaping, the horse carries a rider, and the cow stands on all four legs; each warns of a different animal but the required response is the same.
Signs are one topic of ten on every test
Every state practice test covers signs, signals, and markings among its ten topics, with every answer explained. Pick your state and see how its exam asks about signs like this one; it is free, with no sign-up.
Choose your stateQuestions about the cattle crossing sign
What does the cattle crossing sign mean?
Livestock may be on or crossing the road ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop for animals.
What does open range mean for a driver?
Cattle may graze unfenced beside the road and wander onto it. In many open-range areas the driver, not the rancher, is responsible for avoiding them.
What should I do if a herd is crossing?
Stop well back and wait. The handlers will move the animals across and signal when it is safe; forcing your way through scatters the herd toward you.
Why are animal signs more important at night?
A dark animal on dark pavement is invisible until your headlights reach it, which at highway speed may be too late to stop. Slow down after dark in marked areas.
How does this sign appear on the written test?
As one of the animal-crossing symbols, asking what the sign warns of and what a driver should do.