Winding road

What it means

This sign announces a series of connected curves, usually three or more, rather than a single bend. Its value is in the plural: after the first curve the road will curve again, often in the opposite direction, so you cannot treat each bend as an isolated event or expect a straight stretch to reset conditions between them. Winding sections appear in foothill and canyon driving and are frequently shaded, damp or gravel-strewn in the places drivers notice them least, which compounds the speed error the sign exists to prevent.

How it gets misread

The frequent misread is holding too much speed after the first curve feels comfortable, then finding the second bend tighter than the first. Another is assuming the sign marks exactly one S-bend rather than an extended series whose length varies.

What to do

Settle into a speed you could hold through the least favourable curve in the series, not just the first one. Keep your eyes moving through each bend to pick up the entry of the next, stay centred in your lane, and resist the pull to straighten each curve by drifting toward the centre line, because on these roads that line is exactly where oncoming vehicles appear.

More warning signs

• Crossroad ahead →
• T intersection ahead →

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