Road signs/Do Not Enter Sign
Do Not Enter Sign: what it means and what to do
A do not enter sign means you must not drive onto that road or ramp in the direction you are heading. It is placed where a one-way street or ramp begins, facing the wrong way.
What it looks like
A red circle with a white horizontal bar and the words DO NOT ENTER. It faces drivers who would be entering against traffic.
What to do
- Do not turn or drive onto the road or ramp the sign faces.
- If you did not see the sign and have already entered, stop when it is safe and get out of the lane, because the next sign you meet is the wrong way sign.
On the permit test
Tests pair it with the wrong way sign and ask which one is posted at the start of a one-way street or ramp.
Free questions from our banks that show this sign:
You are about to turn onto an expressway ramp and face a red sign reading DO NOT ENTER. What must you do?
Answer: Do not enter; you would be going the wrong way
DO NOT ENTER marks a ramp or one-way roadway where entry is prohibited because traffic flows the opposite way. You may never enter past this sign, use the ramp for a U-turn, or treat a missing companion sign as permission.
FL Driver Handbook — Regulatory Signs (rev. 08/2023) · Florida Class E Permit free questionsA red circle with a white horizontal bar (DO NOT ENTER style) means:
Answer: No vehicles may enter this way
DO NOT ENTER and the red no-entry symbol prohibit vehicles from entering one-way streets or exit ramps in that direction — the classic wrong-way trap. Entering against the sign risks a head-on collision. If you see both after turning, stop safely and leave the way you came.
GA Drivers' Manual — Road Signs — Regulatory signs · Georgia DDS Permit free questionsA red circle with a white horizontal bar (DO NOT ENTER style) means:
Answer: No vehicles may enter this way
DO NOT ENTER and the red no-entry symbol prohibit vehicles from entering one-way streets or exit ramps in that direction — the classic wrong-way trap. Entering against the sign risks a head-on collision. If you see both after turning, stop safely and leave the way you came.
NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signs — Regulatory signs · North Carolina DMV Permit free questionsWhere it shows up on state tests
15 questions across our state banks show this sign. Here is how many each bank has, and what each state's own test rules say about road signs.
| State | Questions showing it | What the state says about signs |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1 | No separate sign section published. |
| Florida | 1 | No separate sign section published. |
| Georgia | 2 | Two separate tests: road signs (20 questions) and road rules (20 questions). |
| Illinois | 1 | 15 of the 35 questions are traffic-sign identification; the other 20 are multiple-choice or true/false. |
| North Carolina | 2 | Separate road-signs test: identify at least 9 of 12 signs. |
| New Jersey | 2 | No separate sign section published. |
| New York | 1 | 4 of the 20 questions are about road signs, and at least 2 of those 4 must be correct — even with 14 right overall. |
| Ohio | 1 | 40 multiple-choice questions on motor vehicle regulations and traffic signs. |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | No separate sign section published. |
| Texas | 1 | No separate sign section published. |
| Virginia | 1 | Part one is 10 traffic-sign questions and you must answer all 10 correctly before part two opens. |
| Washington | 1 | No separate sign section published. |
How it differs from similar signs
| Sign | How to recognise it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Do Not Enter Sign | Red circle with a white horizontal bar reading DO NOT ENTER | A do not enter sign means you must not drive onto that road or ramp in the direction you are heading. |
| Wrong Way Sign | Red rectangular sign reading WRONG WAY | A wrong way sign facing you means you are driving against the flow of traffic on a one-way street, ramp or divided road. |
| One Way Sign | Black rectangular sign with a white arrow reading ONE WAY | A one way sign means traffic may move only in the direction the arrow points. |
| Stop Sign | Red octagonal STOP sign | A stop sign means come to a complete stop at the stop line (or the crosswalk, or the edge of the intersection if there is no line), then go only when the way is clear. |
See them side by side
Common questions
You may not enter in the direction you are travelling. It marks the start of a one-way street, ramp or exit where you would meet traffic head-on.
They work as a team. Do not enter sits at the beginning of a one-way road or ramp; wrong way is posted farther along to catch a driver who turned in by mistake.
All road signs Practice your state’s permit test free
Sources, checked 2026-10-08: Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings; Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (FHWA). Written in our own words; follow your state’s manual for the exact wording.