The five families
Signage is five things: officers' signals, temporary signage and delineation, traffic lights, vertical signs and road markings.
- All five do the same job: warn, inform, order or regulate — always in advance.
Source: RGC art. 131
Tema 9: signage, obeying it and the order of precedence in the DGT exam
Before learning what each sign means, learn which one wins. When two signs disagree, the exam asks you about the order of precedence.
Reviewed on 6 October 2026 · sources: BOE and DGT
Before learning what each sign means, learn which one wins. The exam asks about the order of precedence.
- Signage is five things: officers' signals, temporary signage and delineation, traffic lights, vertical signs and road markings.
- If two signs contradict each other, the one higher in that list wins. If both are of the same type, the more restrictive one wins.
- You must obey what the sign says even when it seems to contradict a traffic rule, unless special circumstances justify otherwise.
- You are bound by the lights and vertical signs on your right, above the carriageway (calzada) or above your lane.
- A sign applies across the whole width of the carriageway; only road markings can limit it to one or more lanes.
Watch out: Traffic lights come after temporary signage: a roadworks panel overrides the light.
In DrivingLingo: practise with the road signs, review the vertical signs topic and the temporary signage one, and start .
Source: RGC arts. 131, 133, 132.1 and 132.2, 132.3 and 135.
Key rules of topic 9
Order of precedence
If two signs contradict each other, the one higher in this list wins: officers, temporary signage, traffic lights, vertical signs, road markings.
- If both signs are of the same type, the more restrictive one wins.
Source: RGC art. 133
Obey even when it clashes
You must obey what the sign says even when it seems to contradict a traffic rule, unless special circumstances justify otherwise.
- If the sign requires you to stop, you may not move off until you have done what it requires.
Source: RGC art. 132.1 y 132.2
Which sign applies to you
You are bound by the lights and vertical signs on your right, above the carriageway or above your lane.
- If there is none in those places, and you are turning left or going straight, you obey the one on your left.
- If the two sides differ, you obey only the left-hand one.
Source: RGC art. 132.3
The whole width
A sign applies across the whole width of the carriageway that the drivers it addresses may use.
- Only road markings painted on the carriageway can limit a sign to one or more lanes.
Source: RGC art. 135
Do not touch the signs
Nobody may install, remove, move, hide or alter a road's signage without the road owner's permission.
- It is also banned to place near a sign any panel or object that confuses, reduces its visibility or dazzles.
- Removing, hiding, altering or damaging signage is a very serious offence.
Source: RGC art. 140; LSV art. 77.n)
Learn the rule, then practise it
Study topic 9 step by step: the rule, its citation and exam-style questions.
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