Warning sign · MUTCD W1-2
Curve Ahead
The road curves ahead in the direction the arrow shows. The curve is gentle enough to take at a moderate speed, but faster than a sharp turn sign would indicate.
- Shape
- Diamond
- Color
- Yellow background, black arrow bending to the right (or left)
What to do
Slow down before you enter the curve, not in the middle of it. Keep both hands on the wheel, stay in your lane and look through the curve toward the exit. Accelerate gently only once the road straightens.
Where you see it
Before a curve on roads where the recommended speed through the curve is lower than the approach speed, often with an advisory speed plaque.
Test trap
A rounded arrow is a Curve; a sharp 90-degree arrow is a Turn, which requires a much lower speed. The yellow advisory speed under the sign is a recommendation for the curve, not the legal speed limit.
Memory tip: The arrow bends the way the road bends — slow before, steer through.
Practice question
A yellow diamond sign with an arrow that bends to the right means:
- Curve to the right ahead
- Turn right now
- Right lane ends
- Keep right
Answer: A. The road curves to the right ahead; slow down before the curve.
MUTCD sign meanings (as taught in state driver handbooks)