DriveTest Canada

Regulatory signs

What does the do not enter sign mean?

The do not enter sign is a regulatory sign. Do not enter this road or ramp; traffic on it is coming toward you. Do not turn or drive into this road. If you are already facing it, find another way round. It is tested in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick practice banks on this site, where 15 questions ask about it, and the ones on this page carry the answer and the authority behind it.
Regulatory signs15 practice questionsTested in 8 provinces
Do not enter
The do not enter sign, drawn by us to the standard shape and colours rather than traced from any official artwork.

What it means

Do not enter this road or ramp; traffic on it is coming toward you.

What to do when you see it

Do not turn or drive into this road. If you are already facing it, find another way round.

How to recognise a regulatory sign

Most are white with black text or a black symbol, or plain white with a red border. Two shapes are used for exactly one meaning each and nothing else: the eight sided red stop sign and the downward pointing red triangle yield sign, so you can still read them by outline alone in poor light. A red circle with a diagonal red bar always means the thing inside the circle is not allowed.

A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

What the test asks about this sign

15 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.

OntarioG1 test

This sign faces you at the mouth of a road you were about to turn into. What does it mean?

Traffic on that road travels toward you, so you must not enter it

The sign marks the exit end of a one-way street or an off ramp. A driver who goes in behind it is head-on to traffic that has no reason to expect a vehicle there, which is why the rule has no exception for entering carefully.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)
British ColumbiaICBC knowledge test

You are looking for a way onto a highway and this sign faces you at the mouth of a ramp. What is it telling you?

Traffic on this ramp is coming toward you, so you must not enter

The sign marks the wrong end of a road or ramp that runs one way, most often a highway exit. Entering there puts you nose to nose with traffic at full speed, which is why the sign forbids entry outright instead of asking you to yield.

Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)
AlbertaClass 7 learner's test

This sign faces you at the entrance to a road. What must you do?

Stay out of that road entirely

This sign closes the road to you from that point, most often because the traffic on it runs toward you. There is no version of entering carefully that makes it work, because the drivers on that road are not looking for anything coming the other way.

Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)
QuebecSAAQ knowledge test

You are looking for a way back onto the boulevard and find this sign at the mouth of a short paved road. What is it telling you?

Do not drive in here, traffic on this road comes toward you

This sign marks an entrance you must never use, most often an exit ramp or the wrong end of a one-way street. Anyone coming out of it is travelling at full speed and is not expecting to meet a vehicle head on. Find another way round rather than a quick look and a dart.

Highway Safety Code (Quebec)
ManitobaMPI knowledge test

You are about to use a short Winnipeg street as a shortcut and see this sign facing your car. What does it rule out?

Entering that street from your direction

This regulatory sign blocks entry from the direction it faces. It commonly marks a one-way street or ramp where traffic may come toward you.

The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60
SaskatchewanSGI learners test

You miss a turn near a Saskatchewan shopping area and see this sign at a short roadway that seems to lead back. What does it tell you?

Do not use that entrance; find a legal route around

This entrance is closed to traffic coming from your direction. A short detour is safer than entering a roadway against its permitted flow.

SGI, Regulatory signs

Questions people ask

What does the do not enter sign mean?

Do not enter this road or ramp; traffic on it is coming toward you. Do not turn or drive into this road. If you are already facing it, find another way round.

What kind of sign is the do not enter sign?

It is a regulatory sign. A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

Which provinces test the do not enter sign?

It appears in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick practice banks on this site: 3 in Ontario, 3 in British Columbia, 2 in Alberta, 3 in Quebec, 1 in Manitoba, 1 in Saskatchewan, 1 in Nova Scotia, 1 in New Brunswick. Every question is original prose citing Highway Traffic Act (Ontario), Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia), Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta), Highway Safety Code (Quebec), The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60, SGI, Regulatory signs, Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia) and Government of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook, Part 7: Traffic Signs.

Sources for this page

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.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)Highway Safety Code (Quebec)The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60SGI, Regulatory signsTraffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia)Government of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook, Part 7: Traffic Signs