What does the Do Not Pass sign mean?
The Do Not Pass sign (MUTCD R4-1) is a regulatory sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. Passing is prohibited from this point until a sign or marking permits it again.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Table 2B-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the Do Not Pass sign?
| MUTCD code | R4-1 |
|---|---|
| Group | Regulatory signs |
| Shape | Vertical rectangle |
| Color | White background, black legend and border |
What a vertical rectangle means. Usually regulatory: a law you must obey. Speed limits, turn restrictions and parking rules take this shape.
What white means. Regulatory. A black legend on a white background is a law, not advice.
Regulatory signs. Every sign in this group has a statute behind it, so disobeying one is a citable offense on its own. Permit tests tend to word them as a duty you owe rather than show you the face.
What is the Do Not Pass sign often mistaken for?
The No Passing Zone pennant (W14-3), which is yellow, triangular, and posted on the left-hand side of the road. R4-1 is the regulatory version on the right; the pennant is the warning version facing you across the road.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupRegulatory signs | GroupWarning signs |
| ShapeVertical rectangle | ShapePennant, an isosceles triangle with the point to the right |
| ColorWhite background, black legend and border | ColorYellow background, black legend and border |
| What it meansPassing is prohibited from this point until a sign or marking permits it again. | What it meansFrom this pennant until the solid yellow line beside your lane ends, the sight distance is too short to complete a pass, so overtaking is prohibited for the whole stretch. |
Which signs get mistaken for the Do Not Pass sign?
Stay In LaneR4-9Do Not Pass (R4-1). Stay In Lane bans any lane change, including one that is not a pass.
What does the permit test ask about the Do Not Pass sign?
This question is from the practice bank, with the answer marked.
This sign means:
- A.Passing is prohibited from this point until a sign says otherwise(correct answer)
- B.Passing is allowed only on the right
- C.Slower traffic must move right
- D.The lane ahead is closed
Source: MUTCD R4-1
What are the other regulatory signs?
All 39 regulatory signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.