Cattle crossing

What it means

This sign marks a stretch where livestock move across or along the road, either at regular crossings from pasture to pasture or as open-range grazing where animals may appear anywhere along it. Cattle are large, slow and travel in herds, and they are frequently accompanied by riders or dogs moving at animal pace. A collision with a full-grown animal is a severe crash for vehicle occupants as well as for the livestock, and a herd across the road can block it entirely for many minutes.

How it gets misread

Drivers sometimes treat the sign as covering a single gate location and resume full speed immediately past it. Others assume that if the road looks clear, the animals cannot be close, when herds often stand just off the pavement or over a crest.

What to do

Slow through the marked stretch, watch both roadsides, and be ready to stop completely. If you meet livestock on the road, stop well back, switch on hazard lights and wait; do not honk or drive through the herd, which scatters the animals and endangers the people handling them. Follow any directions given by riders or herders.

More warning signs

• Bicycle crossing →
• Slippery when wet →

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