Editing Traffic warning sign (section)

{{Short description|Sign that warns people for a risk or danger}}
{{Redirect |Warning Sign}}
{{About||a sign on a boat or building relating to it or its contents|Placard|non-traffic warning signs|Safety sign}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Original research|date=December 2017}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2017}}
}}
[[File:-01 Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile di Torino segnali stradali.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Refer to caption|Exhibit mostly of warning signs (with some [[regulatory sign]]s like ''Do Not Enter'') at the [[Turin Automobile Museum]]]]

A '''warning sign''' is a type of [[sign]] which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are [[traffic sign]]s that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Federal Highway Administration|author-link1=Federal Highway Administration|title=Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices|url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/|access-date=2009-03-01|edition=2003|location=Washington, DC|page=1A–14|chapter=Section 1A.13 Definitions of Words and Phrases in This Manual|chapter-url=http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003r1r2/part1/part1a.htm|quote=Warning Sign—a sign that gives notice to road users of a situation that might not be readily apparent.|ref=2003MUTCD|archive-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111063902/https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref>

While warning traffic sign designs vary, they usually take the shape of an equilateral triangle with a white background and thick red border. In the [[People's Republic of China]] (excluding [[Macau]] and [[Hong Kong]]) and [[North Korea]], they appear with a black border and a yellow background. In [[Sweden]], [[Greece]], [[Finland]], [[Iceland]], [[Poland]], [[Cuba]], [[Nigeria]], [[South Korea]] and [[Vietnam]], they have a red border with an [[amber (color)|amber]] background. The polar bear warning sign in Svalbard recently changed from displaying a black bear on white background to a white bear on black background (both signs are triangular with a red border). Some countries (like [[France]], [[Norway]] and [[Spain]]) that normally use a white background have adopted an orange or amber background for road work or construction signs.

Warning signs in some countries have a diamond shape in place of the standard triangular shape. In the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Mexico]], [[Australia]], [[Japan]], [[Liberia]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[New Zealand]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-12-05 |title=Permanent Warning Signs in New Zealand |url=https://www.drivingtests.co.nz/resources/permanent-warning-signs-in-new-zealand/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820005820/https://www.drivingtests.co.nz/resources/permanent-warning-signs-in-new-zealand/ |archive-date=2018-08-20 |access-date=2018-08-19 |newspaper=Driving Tests Resources}}</ref> most of [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], some countries of [[Southeast Asia]], and also [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] (diverging from the standards of the rest of Europe) warning signs are black on a yellow background and usually diamond-shaped, while temporary signs (which are typically construction signs) are black on an orange background.  Some other countries, like [[Argentina]] and [[Taiwan]], use a combination of triangle and diamond-shaped warning signs.

The warning signs usually contain a symbol. In Europe they are based on the UNECE [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]]. In the United States they are based on the [[Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices|MUTCD standard]] and often contain text only.