Step 1. The big picture
In one sentence…
Master the hierarchy between officers, temporary signing, traffic lights, vertical signs and road markings, and apply each sign to the D1+E combination. In passenger vehicles with a trailer, reading a sign late reduces your margin to correct.
Step 2. The syllabus
2.1Hierarchy of signing
You first obey traffic officers, then temporary signing, then traffic lights, then vertical signs and finally road markings. That order resolves conflicts.
- If two signs seem to contradict each other, the higher-ranking one prevails. In the exam, apply the hierarchy before looking at shape or colour.
- Signs apply from the point where they are placed, unless they state a distance, a section length or an end point. Always read where the obligation begins.
- With a minibus and trailer, obeying a sign late has bigger consequences because you need more space to correct. Anticipating is also part of reading well.
2.2Officers and temporary signs
The orders of traffic officers take precedence over everything else. Do not resolve a situation with a road marking first if an officer is directing it.
- Temporary and roadworks signing can change the usual regime. Words such as roadworks, diversion or road delineation devices are exam clues.
- If roadworks change the lanes or the path, adapt the combination with margin. The trailer requires you to avoid sudden decisions and improvised paths.
- Do not just memorise the order; apply it to concrete conflicts. A higher-ranking temporary sign can limit what a marking would otherwise allow.
2.3Traffic lights and lanes
Traffic lights regulate right of way with priority over an incompatible vertical sign. They can apply to everyone, to one lane or to a specific manoeuvre.
- In reversible, additional or diverted lanes, look at arrows, lights and panels. The key is usually the lane affected.
- A working traffic light changes the response at a junction. Do not automatically apply the general priority rule if there is light-based regulation.
- With D1+E, choosing the wrong lane can force you to correct too late. Study lane signs while thinking about your trajectory.
2.4Families of vertical signs
Danger signs warn, regulatory signs prohibit or require, and information signs guide or inform. Identify their function first.
- A priority sign outweighs the general rule of giving way to the right. At a junction, look for signs before deciding.
- In passenger combinations, pay attention to restrictions on length, height, radius, gradients and access when they appear in the signing in force.
- Translate each sign into behaviour: give way, stop, do not enter, follow direction, take extra care or confirm your destination. This avoids studying loose pictures.
2.5Road markings and road delineation devices
Road markings define lanes, excluded zones, crossings, stop lines, parking and priority. They are binding within their range.
- Do not read a marking in isolation if other signs cover the same space. An arrow, a lane traffic light and a vertical sign can work together.
- Temporary road delineation devices can guide you along a different path. With a trailer, follow them at the right speed and without entering excluded zones.
- Transverse markings usually require you to stop, give way or protect vulnerable road users. Prepare to stop so you do not end up blocking conflict zones.
2.6Catalogue and exam method
The official catalogue was updated in 2025 with new representations and pictograms. Use up-to-date material to avoid incomplete meanings.
- If a new sign appears alongside a classic one, identify whether it is danger, prohibition, obligation or information and apply the correct behaviour.
- Before choosing an answer, work out who is regulating the situation and which section or lane is affected. That step removes common traps.
- Then think how the minibus with the trailer would act: anticipate, position well within the lane and avoid sudden manoeuvres.
Step 3. Key points
If you only have a minute before the exam, revise this.
- 1.Always apply the full hierarchy before answering.
- 2.Give priority to officers and temporary signing when they appear.
- 3.Link traffic lights and lane lights to the space affected.
- 4.Distinguish danger, regulatory, information signs, markings and road delineation devices.
- 5.Translate each sign into a concrete behaviour.
- 6.Study the updated official catalogue and avoid old diagrams.
- 7.Think about the extra margin needed by the combination with a trailer.
Step 4. Exam traps
Mistakes the DGT uses again and again on this topic.
- Applying the general priority rule even when there is a sign, a traffic light or an officer.
- Forgetting that temporary signing can change the permanent regime.
- Reading a road marking without linking it to the lane, traffic light or vertical sign.
- Confusing an information sign with an obligation or prohibition sign.
- Not checking whether a sign affects only one lane or the whole section.
Step 5. Quick check
Four real exam questions on what you have just read.
If a traffic officer is directing traffic while you drive a D1+E or D+E combination, you must:
Step 6. Frequently asked questions about traffic signs
- If you are driving a bus with a trailer and you encounter a STOP sign, you must:
- Come to a complete stop and yield if needed. At a STOP sign you must bring the vehicle to a complete stop and yield when required.See full question
- At a yield sign with a D1+E or D+E combination, you must:
- Yield to whoever has priority. At a yield sign, you must let traffic with priority pass and stop only when necessary.See full question
- At a STOP sign with a D1+E or D+E combination, you must:
- Come to a complete stop and yield if necessary. At a STOP sign, the vehicle must come to a complete stop and yield when required.See full question
Official sources
Signs catalogue
All Spanish traffic signs and their meanings
The full DGT catalogue — warning (P-), regulatory (R-) and information (S-) — with the official image and meaning of every sign.