Warning signs: how to remember them, with catalogue questions

You will remember warning signs fastest in groups: bends A-1 to A-4, junctions A-5 to A-8, level crossings A-9 and A-10, surface A-11 to A-15, then the rest. Learn the regulation's definitions word for word and check them on catalogue questions: the test asks about distance, side and plate, not pictures.

What are warning signs and what do they require of you?

The regulation on road signs and signals settles this in one sentence (§ 3(1)). Warning signs give advance notice of places on the road where danger occurs or may occur, and oblige road users to exercise particular care. That sentence is almost word for word the text of question 974 from the catalogue.

A warning sign does not directly prohibit anything. It says: in a moment there will be a place where you must be more careful than usual. The sign questions in our list below are basic questions (YES/NO) worth 2 or 3 points, with 20 seconds to read and 15 to answer.

How far from the danger does the sign stand?

This is where learners slip up most often. Paragraph 3 gives two distances and one exception for sign A-7.

Plate T-1 under a sign gives the distance from the sign to the dangerous place. T-2 appears when the danger repeats over a stretch longer than 500 m, and gives its length. T-3 marks the end of the stretch.

Questions 3863 and 3905 test exactly this table. Check in the picture what kind of road it is, whether there is a T-1 plate under the sign, and whether it is A-7 (which has different distances), and only then match the distance. Anyone who remembers only "150-300 m" may answer YES where the correct answer is NO.

How to group signs A-1 to A-34 so they do not get mixed up?

The regulation itself divides the signs into paragraphs, and that is the best division for learning:

1. Bends (§ 4): A-1 dangerous bend to the right, A-2 to the left, A-3 dangerous bends, the first to the right, A-4 the first to the left. Plate T-4 under A-3 or A-4 indicates more than two bends, T-5 the start of a winding road.
2. Junctions (§ 5): A-5 crossroads where right of way is not set by signs; A-6a, A-6b, A-6c junction with a minor road on both sides, on the right, on the left; A-6d and A-6e a one-way road joining from the right and from the left; A-7 give way; A-8 roundabout ahead.
3. Level crossings (§ 6): A-9 crossing with barriers or half-barriers, A-10 without barriers or half-barriers. Plate T-7 shows the layout of the tracks and the road.
4. Surface and carriageway (§ 7): A-11 uneven road, A-11a speed hump, A-12a, A-12b, A-12c carriageway narrows on both sides, on the right, on the left, A-13 movable bridge, A-14 roadworks, A-15 slippery road.
5. People and animals (§ 8-9): A-16 pedestrian crossing, A-17 children, A-18a farm animals, A-18b wild animals.
6. Conditions and surroundings (§ 10): A-19 crosswind, A-20 section of two-way traffic, A-21 tram, A-22 dangerous descent, A-23 steep climb, A-24 cyclists, A-25 falling rocks, A-26 airfield, A-27 quay or river bank, A-28 loose gravel, A-29 traffic lights.
7. The rest (§ 11-13): A-30 other danger, A-31 dangerous verge, A-32 frost on the road, A-33 traffic queues, A-34 road accident.

Learn one group a day and check it with questions straight away. Why small portions work better than one long evening is explained in our text on spaced repetition.

Which pairs of signs get mixed up most often?

A simple key to the bends: odd numbers (A-1, A-3) mean right, even numbers (A-2, A-4) mean left. The A-6 family has a different one: a is both sides, b right, c left, then the same for one-way roads, d right, e left. Right always comes before left, just as with the A-12 narrowing signs.

Who gives way to whom at A-5 or A-7 follows from the right-of-way rules. We set them out in our text on right of way at uncontrolled junctions and roundabouts.

What do the plates under a sign say?

A plate refines the sign, so in the test it is a separate source of questions (for example 7289 about T-1).

• T-1: the distance from the sign to the dangerous place.
• T-2: the length of a stretch with a repeating danger, when it exceeds 500 m; T-3: the end of such a stretch.
• T-4 and T-5 under A-3 or A-4: more than two bends, the start of a winding road.
• T-6b under A-6a, A-6b, A-6c: the layout of roads at the junction; T-6c or T-6d under A-7: the actual course of the priority road through the junction.
• T-7 under A-9, A-10 and A-21: the layout of the tracks and the road.
• T-9 under A-22 and A-23: the actual gradient of the descent or climb.
• Under A-30: T-8 and T-10 to T-18, including T-11 ferry crossing, T-13 ruts, T-17 state border.

From § 14: an illuminated sign with a white symbol on a black background means the same as a disc with a black symbol.

Five ways to make warning signs stick

1. Group by paragraph. The seven groups in the list above are seven short sessions instead of one long one.
2. Build associations on the names: "odd means right", "right before left", "A-9 has barriers, A-10 does not". The association should be your own, as long as it matches the definition.
3. Learn straight away with catalogue questions. At Łatweprawko every question has an explanation with a reference to the rule, so after a mistake you immediately see which paragraph you confused.
4. Review at intervals. In learning mode the FSRS-6 repetition algorithm plans by itself when to come back to a sign that did not stick, and after a mistake it offers similar questions from the same section.
5. Test yourself against the clock. 20 seconds to read and 15 to answer is not much if you are still recalling the definition. The category B mock test mirrors these times and the 20 + 12 draw.

Catalogue questions about warning signs and their traps

Numbers from the official catalogue of the Ministry of Infrastructure (Ministerstwo Infrastruktury), the content in brief, answers as given in the catalogue.

• 974 (2 pts): does the sign warn of a place where danger occurs or may occur? YES. That is the definition from § 3(1).
• 3863 (2 pts): is the distance from the sign to the dangerous place up to 100 m? YES. Check in the picture what kind of road it is, whether there is a T-1 plate and whether it is A-7.
• 3905 (2 pts): is the distance from 150 to 300 m? NO, because one of those conditions is not met; check the scene.
• 3904 (2 pts): does the sign warn of a junction where right of way is not set by signs? YES. That is A-5.
• 6012 (2 pts): does the sign warn of a place with heavy precipitation? NO. No warning disc warns of precipitation as such; A-32 warns of frost or black ice, A-15 of the risk of skidding.
• 6014 (2 pts): does the sign warn of the possibility of black ice? YES. A similar construction to 6012, this time consistent with the definition of A-32.
• 7133 (2 pts): does the sign warn of a junction with a one-way minor road joining from the left? NO. Check separately: is the road one-way (A-6d, A-6e) and from which side does it join.
• 7266 (2 pts): does the sign mean several dangerous bends, the first to the right? NO. Distinguish one bend (A-1, A-2) from a series (A-3, A-4), and only then check the direction.
• 7289 (2 pts): does the plate indicate the distance from the sign to the dangerous place? YES. That is T-1.
• 9454 (3 pts): does sign A-7 apply only to the nearest junction? YES. A-7 warns of the junction it stands in front of (§ 5(5), § 3(3)), not of the following ones; a sign within a junction applies only to the nearest carriageway.

There is one pattern: the question takes the definition and changes one element in it, the side, the number, the type of road or the distance. Anyone who knows the definition word for word spots the swap at once. We describe other trap constructions in the most common mistakes in the theory test.

How to check whether you already know them?

Go through the list A-1 to A-34 with the names covered and say out loud what each sign warns of and which plate may hang under it. Any sign you hesitate over goes into tomorrow's reviews.

Then start a timed mock test. In the theory test you can lose only 6 of 74 points, and a single 2-point sign question eats up a third of that margin. We set out the scoring details in our text on the number of questions and scoring in the theory test.