Warning sign · MUTCD W1-4
Reverse Curve
The road curves one way and then immediately curves the opposite way. The S-shaped arrow shows the path you will follow.
- Shape
- Diamond (square turned on its corner)
- Color
- Yellow background, black symbol and border
What to do
Slow down before the first curve, keep to your lane and be ready to steer the other way right after it. Do not speed up until you can see the road straighten out, and never cut across the center line.
Where you see it
Before a stretch where two curves in opposite directions follow each other.
Test trap
Do not mix it up with Winding Road, which shows three or more turns in a row, or with a single Curve sign. A reverse curve has exactly two bends, in opposite directions.
Memory tip: S-shaped arrow: two bends, opposite ways.
Practice question
This sign means:
- The road curves sharply and then ends
- The road curves one way, then the other
- There are three or more curves ahead
- The road splits into two roads
Answer: B. A reverse curve has two bends in opposite directions, one right after the other.
Nebraska Driver's Manual, p. 48