Patente Quiz B
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Lesson and quiz, category B licence

Mandatory signs (Segnali di obbligo)

On the exam this topic tests how mandatory signs look, what each one requires, who they apply to and how far they reach; this site has 20 true or false statements to practise on it.

The theory exam has 30 statements in 20 minutes and you pass with at most 3 mistakes. Source: Codice della Strada.

Skip to the quiz Study the rules

The real theory exam is in Italian, with French or German available on request. Lessons here keep the Italian terms in italics, and the quiz shows each statement in Italian with English help underneath. Switch to Italian only in the quiz to practise under exam conditions.

The rules

Question 1 of 1

Rule 1

Round and blue: you must do it

Mandatory signs are blue discs with a white symbol. They tell you what you must do, while prohibitory signs, round with a white background and red border, tell you what you may not do. They apply to every road user, cyclists included, unless a supplementary panel limits or excludes a category. After every junction the sign is repeated if the requirement continues; without a repeat, as a rule, it does not apply beyond the junction. Zone signs are the exception. Some requirements also have an end sign, such as the minimum speed, which repeats the disc with a red diagonal bar.

Example

Riding a bicycle, you reach a blue disc with an arrow pointing right and no panel. The requirement applies to the cyclist too, who must turn right like the cars.

Legal reference: CdS art. 39; Reg. art. 104; Reg. art. 122

Ahead only
Ahead only (Direzione obbligatoria diritto)

Exam traps

  • «They apply soltanto (only) to motor vehicles»: false, with no panel they apply to every driver and rider.
  • «They apply for the first hundred metres»: there is no fixed distance. The junction, the end sign or a panel decides.
  • «The snow chains sign is a warning sign»: false, it is a blue disc and therefore a requirement.

Rule 2

Compulsory directions and passing sides

A white arrow on a blue background shows the only direction allowed at the junction ahead. With the straight on arrow you may not turn or make a U-turn; with the right arrow you may not go straight on even if the road is clear. A sign with two arrows lists the only directions allowed, and a U-turn is never included unless drawn. The compulsory passing side sign (passaggio obbligatorio), with an arrow slanting downwards, stands in front of an obstacle or traffic island and shows which side to pass it on. The compulsory roundabout sign, three arrows in a circle, requires you to go round anticlockwise.

Example

A traffic island carries the keep right sign and there seems to be room on its left. You still pass on the right, because the left side is the oncoming lane.

Legal reference: Reg. art. 122

Turn right ahead
Turn right ahead (Direzione obbligatoria a destra)

Exam traps

  • «You may still go straight on if the road is clear»: false, the requirement does not depend on traffic.
  • «Straight on and right also allows a U-turn»: false, a U-turn involves turning left, which is not allowed.
  • «The roundabout sign means clockwise»: false, in Italy you go round anticlockwise.

Rule 3

Minimum speed

A blue disc with a white number is a minimum speed: you may not go below it, and vehicles unable to reach it must not use that road or lane (Reg. art. 122 c. 7). The general duty to adapt speed to traffic still applies (art. 141 of the Codice della Strada). It must not be confused with a maximum limit, which is a prohibitory sign with a white background and red border. The end of the minimum speed is the same blue disc with a red diagonal bar.

Example

In a lane signed with a blue 30 disc, traffic slows for a queue. You slow below 30 km/h, because art. 141 always requires speed to be adapted so as to avoid danger.

Legal reference: Reg. art. 122 c. 7; CdS art. 141

Minimum speed
Minimum speed (Velocità minima obbligatoria)

Exam traps

  • «You must not exceed the speed shown»: false, it is the speed you must not go below.
  • «You must keep it even in heavy traffic»: false, in heavy traffic the duty to adapt speed to avoid danger comes first (art. 141).

Rule 4

Snow chains compulsory

The blue disc showing a wheel with a chain requires you, from the point where it stands, to drive with chains fitted or with suitable winter tyres, which count as equivalent. It applies to all vehicles, cars included. The period in force is set by orders of the authority managing the road, usually from 15 November to 15 April, though some regions start it earlier.

Example

Driving up to a ski resort you pass the sign, and your car has winter tyres marked for snow. You carry on, because winter tyres meet the requirement.

Legal reference: Reg. art. 122

Exam traps

  • «It applies only to heavy vehicles»: false, it covers cars too.
  • «With winter tyres you must fit chains as well»: false, suitable winter tyres are enough.

Rule 5

Reserved paths

A footpath sign (percorso pedonale) reserves the path for pedestrians: vehicles may neither use nor park on it. A shared path sign with the pedestrian and cycle symbols divided by a vertical line has two separate parts; with the symbols side by side and no line, the space is shared.

Example

A blue disc divided by a vertical line shows a pedestrian on the left and a bicycle on the right. Cyclists keep to the right half and leave the pedestrians' half clear.

Legal reference: Reg. art. 122

Pedestrian route
Pedestrian route (Percorso pedonale)

Exam traps

  • A vertical line means separate spaces; symbols side by side with no line mean a shared space.

Rule 6

Stop: police and customs

The police stop and customs stop signs require you to halt and move off only when the officers allow it. An officer's order to stop must always be obeyed, however it is given: a signalling disc, a sign or a gesture, even when the patrol car's lights are off.

Example

At a border crossing with Switzerland there is a customs stop sign and the barrier is up. You stop anyway and wait for the officers' signal.

Legal reference: CdS art. 192

Exam traps

  • «It must be obeyed only if the patrol car's lights are flashing»: false, the order stands however it is given.

Rule 7

What can go wrong

Three scenes show how an ignored blue disc becomes a real problem. First scene: in January, on the regional road climbing from Châtillon towards Cervinia, the driver passes the snow chains compulsory sign on summer tyres with the chains in the boot, planning to fit them only if the snow gets worse. Two hairpins later the wheels spin, the car slews sideways and blocks the climb for everyone behind. The traffic police arrive, record the offence and have the chains fitted before the car moves on. The sign under art. 122 of the Regolamento requires chains fitted or winter tyres from the point where it stands, not from when the driver thinks it useful. Second scene: at a junction in the centre of Bari there is a blue disc with a right arrow. At seven in the morning the street is empty and the driver goes straight on. The street ahead, though, is one way towards them, and a van brakes just in time. A traffic officer on duty stops the driver and records the failure to follow the compulsory direction. The requirement depends neither on the time of day nor on the traffic in sight. Third scene: on Milan's eastern ring road a stretch has a minimum speed on the left lane. The driver of a loaded small car crawls along in that lane although they could move over, forcing drivers behind into sudden braking. A minimum speed may be broken only when traffic or road conditions prevent keeping it, not by choice; slower vehicles belong in the lanes without a minimum. The shared lesson is simple. A blue disc is not advice: it applies from where it stands to the first junction or the end sign, and it covers everyone, cyclists included.

Legal reference: Reg. art. 122; Reg. art. 104

CdS: Codice della Strada (d.lgs. 285/1992). Reg.: its implementing regulation (d.P.R. 495/1992). c.: comma, the numbered paragraph of an article.

Full text of the Codice: www.aci.it/i-servizi/normative/codice-della-strada.html

Trap words

False statements on the exam often repeat a true rule and change a single word. These are the Italian words to read carefully in this topic. They stay in Italian because that is how they appear on the exam.

Words that appear in every topic

sempre
always. An absolute: the statement is true only if there is no exception at all.
«Keeping to the limit sempre (always) guarantees a safe speed»: false, in fog or on ice you go slower.
solo, soltanto, esclusivamente
only. It rules out every other case, so a single exception makes the statement false.
«The children sign is placed soltanto (only) outside primary schools»: false, it also appears near parks and sports grounds.
mai, in nessun caso
never, in no case. The statement is true only if the behaviour is not allowed in any situation.
«A driver with priority may in nessun caso (never) give it up»: false, they may, as long as they make it clear.
ovvero
In the language of the Codice it means «or» and introduces an alternative. It does not mean «that is».
Emergency stop: the vehicle has broken down ovvero (or) the driver must stop because they feel unwell (art. 157). Two separate cases; either one is enough.
obbligatoriamente, è obbligatorio
compulsory. A duty: it is not enough for the behaviour to be allowed, it must be required.
«Overtaking on the left is obbligatorio (compulsory) even past a driver turning left»: false, in that case you pass on the right.
è consentito, è ammesso
allowed, permitted. A permission, not a duty. «È consentito» does not mean «è obbligatorio», and the reverse.
«It is consentito (allowed) to pass on the right a driver who has signalled a left turn»: true, and art. 148(7) actually requires it.
di norma, di regola
as a rule, normally. It states the general rule, which allows exceptions, so the statement does not claim to hold in every case.
«Outside built up areas warning signs are placed di norma (as a rule) 150 metres ahead»: true, and a panel gives any other distance.
anche
also, even. It stretches the rule to one more case; ask whether that added case really belongs.
«The no parking sign anche (also) bans stopping»: false, a brief stop is still allowed under a no parking sign.
automaticamente, di per sé
automatically, in itself. It suggests an effect that applies on its own, when the effect usually depends on a sign or a specific condition.
«In fog the motorway limit automaticamente (automatically) drops to 90 km/h»: false, the automatic cut applies to rain and snow.
qualsiasi, qualunque, in ogni caso
any, in every case. It generalises; look for the category or situation the rule leaves out.
«The safe distance is the same at qualunque (any) speed»: false, it grows with speed.
corsia
lane. The part of the carriageway wide enough for one line of vehicles (art. 3).
A two way carriageway (carreggiata) usually has two corsie (lanes), one for each direction.
carreggiata
carriageway. The part of the road for vehicles, made up of one or more lanes (art. 3). It does not include the verge or the pavement.
A speed limit applies to the whole carreggiata (carriageway), not only to the lane next to the sign.
banchina
verge, hard strip. The strip beside the carriageway and outside it, not meant for driving (art. 3).
Outside built up areas you park off the carriageway, for example on a suitable banchina (verge) (art. 157(3)).
fermata
stop. A brief halt to let people get in or out, with the driver present and ready to move off (art. 157).
Pulling in to drop off a passenger and leaving straight away is a fermata (stop), not a sosta (parking).
sosta
parking. A prolonged halt during which the driver may leave the vehicle (art. 157).
A divieto di sosta (no parking) does not ban stopping; a divieto di fermata (no stopping) bans parking too.
arresto
halt. An interruption caused by traffic, such as a red light or a queue. It is not the driver's choice (art. 157).
Stopping at a red light is an arresto (halt); no stopping ban prevents it.

Check yourself

Three statements on the topic. Answer and see straight away whether the rule has stuck. These answers are not saved.

Question 1 of 1

  1. Il segnale direzione obbligatoria a destra consente comunque di proseguire diritto se la strada è libera.

    The turn right sign still allows driving straight on when the road is clear.

  2. Il segnale di velocità minima obbligatoria impone di non superare la velocità indicata.

    The minimum speed sign sets a speed that must not be exceeded.

  3. Un segnale di obbligo posto all'inizio di una zona vale soltanto per i primi cento metri.

    A mandatory sign placed at the start of a zone applies only for the first hundred metres.

Topic quiz: 20 statements

Untimed. After each answer you see the solution, the explanation, the trap words highlighted and a link back to the rule. At the end you get your score and can retest just the ones you missed.

Question 1 of 1

  1. I segnali di obbligo hanno forma circolare e fondo di colore blu.

    Mandatory signs are round with a blue background.

  2. Il segnale direzione obbligatoria a destra consente comunque di proseguire diritto se la strada è libera.

    The turn right sign still allows driving straight on when the road is clear.

  3. Il segnale di rotatoria obbligatoria indica il senso di circolazione orario attorno all'isola centrale.

    The compulsory roundabout sign shows a clockwise flow around the central island.

    Circular blue sign with three white arrows arranged in a circle

  4. Il segnale di velocità minima obbligatoria impone di non superare la velocità indicata.

    The minimum speed sign sets a speed that must not be exceeded.

  5. Il segnale percorso pedonale vieta il transito ai veicoli.

    The footpath sign bans vehicles from that route.

  6. Il segnale catene da neve obbligatorie si considera rispettato anche se si montano pneumatici invernali idonei.

    The snow chains sign is treated as satisfied if suitable winter tyres are fitted.

  7. Il segnale alt polizia deve essere rispettato solo se il veicolo di servizio ha i lampeggianti accesi.

    The police stop sign (alt polizia) must be obeyed only when the patrol car has its beacons on.

  8. Il segnale passaggio obbligatorio a sinistra si incontra in prossimità di un ostacolo o di uno spartitraffico.

    The pass on the left sign is found near an obstacle or a traffic island.

  9. Il segnale direzione obbligatoria diritto impone di proseguire senza svoltare alla prossima intersezione.

    The ahead only sign requires driving straight on at the next junction.

    Circular blue sign with a white arrow pointing straight up

  10. Il segnale di fine del limite minimo di velocità è a fondo blu con una barra rossa obliqua.

    The end of minimum speed sign is blue with a red oblique bar.

  11. Il segnale di percorso pedonale e ciclabile diviso da una linea verticale indica due parti distinte, una per i pedoni e una per i ciclisti.

    The cycle and foot path sign split by a vertical line means two separate parts, one for pedestrians and one for cyclists.

  12. Il segnale alt dogana impone di arrestare il veicolo.

    The customs stop sign requires bringing the vehicle to a halt.

  13. Il segnale catene da neve obbligatorie appartiene ai segnali di obbligo e non a quelli di pericolo.

    The snow chains sign belongs to the mandatory signs, not to the warning signs.

  14. Un segnale di obbligo può essere ripetuto dopo un'intersezione per confermare che la prescrizione continua.

    A mandatory sign can be repeated after a junction to confirm that the rule continues.

  15. Il segnale direzioni consentite diritto e destra consente anche l'inversione di marcia.

    The ahead or right sign also allows a U-turn.

  16. Il segnale di limite minimo di velocità obbliga a mantenere quella velocità anche quando il traffico è intenso.

    The minimum speed sign requires holding that speed even in heavy traffic.

  17. I segnali di obbligo si applicano soltanto ai veicoli a motore.

    Mandatory signs apply only to motor vehicles.

  18. Il segnale passaggio obbligatorio a destra consente di transitare a sinistra dell'ostacolo se lo spazio è sufficiente.

    The pass on the right sign allows going to the left of the obstacle when there is enough room.

  19. Il segnale catene da neve obbligatorie vale solo per i veicoli pesanti.

    The snow chains sign applies only to heavy vehicles.

  20. Un segnale di obbligo posto all'inizio di una zona vale soltanto per i primi cento metri.

    A mandatory sign placed at the start of a zone applies only for the first hundred metres.

What next

All exam topics

Educational content. For the official rules, see the Codice della Strada and legal notes.