What does the Rest Area sign mean?

The Rest Area sign (MUTCD D5-1, D5-1a, D5-2) is a guide sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. It directs road users to a rest area and how far it is.

Source: MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), checked 2026-09-09.

What shape and color is the Rest Area sign?

What a horizontal rectangle means. Usually guidance: direction, distance and destination. Also used for some regulatory plaques mounted under another sign.

What blue means. Motorist services: rest areas, hospitals, fuel, food and lodging.

Guide and service signs. Direction, services, recreation: three colors doing three jobs, and not one of them carrying a duty. Work out which job the color does and most questions in this group answer themselves.

What is the Rest Area sign often mistaken for?

Green guide signs. Blue is reserved for road-user services, tourist information and evacuation routes under MUTCD Section 1D.05.

What does the permit test ask about the Rest Area sign?

This question is from the practice bank, with the answer marked.

Question 1

A sign in this color tells you about:

1. A.Motorist services such as rest areas and hospitals(correct answer)
2. B.A recreational or cultural site
3. C.A regulation you must follow
4. D.A temporary work zone

Source: MUTCD D5-1, D5-1a, D5-2

What are the other guide and service signs?

US Route MarkerM1-4

Destination signD1-1, D1-2, D1-3

Distance signD2-1, D2-2, D2-3

Street Name signD3-1

Exit Gore signE5-1, E5-1a

Exit Number plaqueE1-5P, E1-5bP

EXIT ONLY panelE11-1d, E11-1e, E11-1f

HospitalD9-2

General Service signs (Gas, Food, Lodging, Telephone)D9-7, D9-8, D9-9, D9-1

Reference Location sign (mile marker)D10-1, D10-2, D10-3

All 11 guide and service 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.