Chevron Alignment Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The yellow rectangle with a single black chevron is posted on the outside of a curve, in a series, to show the direction and sharpness of the bend. Each chevron points the way the road turns, and the spacing between them tightens as the curve tightens, so at night the line of chevrons draws the curve for you before your headlights reach it.
Chevron Alignment Sign
Chevrons are a supplement, not a replacement, for the curve warning diamond posted in advance. By the time you reach them you should already have slowed; they exist to keep you tracking the curve when the road ahead is hidden by darkness, rain, or the bend itself.
What to do when you see the chevron alignment sign
Slow to a safe speed before the curve, then follow the chevrons through it, keeping to your lane and steering smoothly. If the chevrons appear closer together than you expected, the curve is tighter than it looked; slow further before you are committed. Never brake hard in the middle of a curve.
The signs it is confused with
Tests pair it with the Large Arrow sign, a wide yellow rectangle with one long arrow, which marks a sharp change of direction at a single point, and with the One-Direction Curve diamond, which is the advance warning. Chevrons are the row of signs that trace the curve itself.
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Choose your stateQuestions about the chevron alignment sign
What does a chevron alignment sign mean?
The road bends sharply in the direction the chevron points. A series of them outlines the curve so you can follow it.
Why are there several in a row?
So the line of signs shows the whole curve. Closer spacing means a tighter bend, which warns you to slow more.
Should I slow down when I see chevrons?
You should already have slowed for the curve warning before them. If you have not, slow now, before the curve tightens, and steer smoothly.
What is the difference from the large arrow sign?
The large arrow is one wide sign at a sharp turn or at the end of a road. Chevrons are a repeated series along the outside of a curve.
How does this sign appear on the written test?
As a recognition question about what a black chevron on yellow indicates, and in night-driving questions about reading curves.