Railroad advance warning sign
A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters R R. It warns of a railroad crossing ahead.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains the sign's standard meaning in the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; it isn't legal advice.
How to read it
It is the only round sign in the MUTCD's table of shapes, and the Manual requires it on every road ahead of a highway-rail crossing, with a few exceptions. It stays yellow even in work zones, where other warning signs turn orange. Pennsylvania's manual says it is placed far enough ahead to allow a stop before the tracks; the crossbuck marks the crossing itself.
More road signs
Sources
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 8B: Signs and Markings (Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings), MUTCD 2009, Part 8, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 8B.06
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 2A: General, MUTCD 2009, Part 2, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 2A.09, Table 2A-4
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 6F: Temporary Traffic Control Zone Devices, MUTCD 2009, Part 6, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 6F.16
- Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, p. 16
- California Driver's Handbook, Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Signs
- The Evolution of MUTCD, Updated December 2023; after H. Gene Hawkins, Jr., ITE Journal, 1991–1994, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Prologue
Last reviewed September 25, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research