Curve ahead sign: what it means

Curve ahead warning sign: a yellow diamond with a black arrow curving to the right
Drawing: DriveQuiz, based on MUTCD sign W1-2. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The curve sign warns that the road curves ahead in the direction of the arrow. Slow down before the curve.

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What it means

Warning signs are diamond-shaped with a black legend and border on yellow (MUTCD Section 2C.02). The Curve sign is the standard warning before a curve (Section 2C.07).

For a sharper bend with an advisory speed of 30 mph or less, a Turn sign, with a right-angled arrow, should be used instead. An advisory speed plaque may show a safe speed for the curve (Section 2C.59).

Where you see it

Before curves on highways and rural roads.

A common mistake

Braking hard in the middle of the curve. Slow down before you enter it, then steer smoothly.

Quick quiz

What shape and color are most US warning signs?

  1. A yellow diamond
  2. A red octagon
  3. A white rectangle
Show answer

A. A yellow diamond. Section 2C.02: warning signs are diamond-shaped with a black legend and border on a yellow background. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Sections 2C.02, 2C.07, 2C.59, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Compare with

Next in warning signs: Cross road sign. See all warning signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Sections 2C.02, 2C.07, 2C.59, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.