Do not pass sign: what it means

Do not pass sign: a white vertical rectangle with the words DO NOT PASS in black
Drawing: DriveQuiz, based on MUTCD sign R4-1. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The DO NOT PASS sign means you must not pass other vehicles in that zone. It backs up the no-passing lines painted on the road.

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What it means

MUTCD Section 2B.36: the DO NOT PASS sign may be used in addition to pavement markings to emphasize the restriction on passing, at the start of and within a zone where you cannot see far enough ahead, or where passing is unsafe for another reason.

On the left side of the road, a yellow pennant-shaped NO PASSING ZONE sign may mark the same zone.

Where you see it

On two-lane roads at hills, curves and other places where you cannot see far enough ahead to pass safely.

A common mistake

Starting to pass just before the zone and finishing inside it. Wait until the no-passing zone is over and you can see the road ahead is clear.

Quick quiz

Which sign may mark the same no-passing zone on the left side of the road?

  1. The NO PASSING ZONE pennant
  2. The yield sign
  3. The merge sign
Show answer

A. The NO PASSING ZONE pennant. Section 2B.36 points to the NO PASSING ZONE sign for extra emphasis on the left-hand side. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.36, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.53, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: Railroad crossbuck sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.36, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.53, FHWA
  3. 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.