Warning signs
A bump or uneven surface is ahead; slow down.
Slow down before you reach it so the bump does not catch you or your vehicle off guard.
The shape is almost always a yellow diamond with a black border and a black symbol or arrow. The one exception in this set is the railway advance sign, which is a yellow circle with a black X, kept round on purpose so it stands out from the diamonds around it well before you reach the tracks.
A warning sign tells you about a hazard or an unusual condition ahead so you can adjust your speed and attention before you reach it. It is advice rather than a command with its own penalty, though ignoring it can put you in a position where another rule then applies.
12 questions in our banks show this sign and ask what it requires. Here are 6, each with the answer marked and the authority it rests on.
This sign is posted on a road you are driving with a full load of passengers. What is the right response?
Slow before you get there so the suspension is settled as you cross
Hitting uneven pavement at speed unloads the tires for a moment, and a tire with no weight on it has no grip for steering or braking. Slowing before the bump rather than on it keeps the car settled and keeps whatever is in the trunk where you put it.
Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)This sign is posted on a road you are driving at speed. Why does it matter beyond comfort?
The wheels can go light as you cross, so grip for braking and steering drops just then
Weight coming off the wheels means less grip for braking or steering at the very moment the vehicle is unsettled. Slowing before you reach it keeps the suspension in control, and it protects both the vehicle and anything loose in the back.
Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)This sign warns about what is on the road surface just ahead. What is the right response?
Slow down before you reach it and keep the steering straight
Hitting uneven pavement at speed unsettles the car at the moment you have least grip to correct it, and braking or turning at the same time makes that worse. Get the speed off first, then cross it with the wheels straight. Leave room for whoever is behind you, because a motorcycle or a loaded vehicle needs even more.
Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)This sign appears just before a section of road that has been patched and repatched. What is the right response?
Slow down before you reach it and keep both hands on the wheel
A vehicle crossing a bump at speed goes light on its springs, and a light vehicle steers and brakes badly for the moment it takes to settle. Slowing beforehand keeps the tires loaded and the car pointing where you aimed it. Braking on the bump itself is what unsettles it most.
Highway Safety Code (Quebec)You are riding at the posted speed on a two lane road when this sign appears. What is the risk here that a car driver would barely register?
The wheel goes light as it crosses, so the bike is unsettled just when you want it steady
A car spreads a bump across four wheels and a heavy body. A bike takes it one wheel at a time, and while a tire is light on the surface it is neither steering nor braking much. Finish your slowing early, cross with the bike upright, and let your knees and elbows take the hit instead of the seat.
Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)This sign warns of a sharp ridge across the road ahead. You are riding alone at a moderate speed with no traffic behind you.
Slow down first, release the brakes before the ridge, rise slightly on the pegs and cross it straight
Braking pushes the front suspension down and uses up the travel you need to absorb the hit, so the front wheel gets a much harder jolt if you are still braking when you reach the ridge. Doing the slowing early, letting the forks come back up and taking your weight on the pegs lets the suspension work. Crossing straight keeps the ridge from pushing the wheels sideways.
Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)The other 6 sit in the signs drills, which ask sign questions on their own with the reason for every answer.
Counted from the questions written for each province when the site is built, not typed by hand.
4 questions: 1 on the G1 knowledge test, 1 on the M1 knowledge test, 1 on the Class A knowledge test, 1 on the Class F knowledge test
3 questions: 1 on the ICBC knowledge test, 1 on the Motorcycle knowledge test, 1 on the Class 1 knowledge test
3 questions: 1 on the Class 7 knowledge test, 1 on the Class 6 knowledge test, 1 on the Commercial knowledge test
2 questions: 1 on the SAAQ knowledge test, 1 on the Motorcycle knowledge test
Signs that share this one's shape and colour rule, and are easy to confuse with it under a clock.
A steep downgrade is ahead; slow down and be ready to gear down.
The road ahead divides around a median; keep to the right side.
The divided road ends ahead; two-way traffic will share one roadway.
You are entering or on a road with traffic in both directions.
People cross the road ahead; be ready to stop.
A railway crossing is ahead; slow down, look both ways and be ready to stop.
A bump or uneven surface is ahead; slow down. Slow down before you reach it so the bump does not catch you or your vehicle off guard.
It is a warning sign. A warning sign tells you about a hazard or an unusual condition ahead so you can adjust your speed and attention before you reach it. It is advice rather than a command with its own penalty, though ignoring it can put you in a position where another rule then applies.
It appears in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec practice banks on this site: 4 in Ontario, 3 in British Columbia, 3 in Alberta, 2 in Quebec. Every question is original prose citing Highway Traffic Act (Ontario), Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia), Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta) and Highway Safety Code (Quebec).
The meaning and the action are the standard ones taught across Canada. Each question above cites the law or the guide it rests on, and the exam facts on the province pages come from the records below.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, G1 licensing rules and DriveTest fee schedule
Verified 2026-08-27
DriveTest, Knowledge Tests (Serco Canada Inc., the ministry appointed driver examination provider)
Verified 2026-08-28
Fees read from the DriveTest fee list on the same date.
DriveTest, Commercial Vehicles licence requirements
Verified 2026-08-28
Fees read from the DriveTest fee list on the same date.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Get a bus driver licence
Verified 2026-08-28
Read alongside the DriveTest commercial page, which words the same requirement differently.
ICBC published graduated licensing and knowledge test information
Verified 2026-08-27
ICBC, Before you take your knowledge test (form MV2654)
Verified 2026-08-28
Fees read from the ICBC fee list on the same date.
Government of Alberta published Class 7 licensing and knowledge test information
Verified 2026-08-27
Government of Alberta, Get a Class 6 motorcycle driver licence
Verified 2026-08-28
Question count and pass mark read from the Alberta driver knowledge test page on the same date.
Government of Alberta, Driver knowledge test
Verified 2026-08-28
SAAQ published licensing, driving course and knowledge test information
Verified 2026-08-27
SAAQ, Obtaining a Motorcycle Driver's Licence (Classes 6A, 6B and 6C)
Verified 2026-08-28
Read through an Internet Archive copy of the SAAQ page captured on 2026-08-13, because the SAAQ turns away visitors from outside Canada. The French page is cited because it is the version the SAAQ updates first.