Reading Road Signs Outside North America

Triangular signs usually mean caution, circular signs with a red border mean prohibition, and circular blue signs mean a required instruction — a pattern that holds across much of Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Distances and speed limits are posted in kilometers almost everywhere, which will feel familiar coming from Canada.

Unmarked intersections are where local right-of-way habits matter most. Across much of continental Europe, traffic approaching from the right often has priority by default unless a sign says otherwise — the opposite of what most Canadian drivers are used to.

When a sign doesn't register right away, slow down and watch what local drivers do at that same intersection — usually the fastest way to figure out an unfamiliar rule on the spot.