Ford sign: what it means
The Ford sign warns that the road ahead goes through a ford, a shallow place where you drive through water.
What does the ford sign mean?
Know your traffic signs lists it as a worded warning; the word may be varied to Flood, Gate, Gates or No smoking. An information sign may show the depth of water at the ford.
Rule 121 says your brakes may be less effective after deep water, so test them at the first safe place.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- The road goes through water ahead.
- Test your brakes before going on.
- The road leads to a quayside or river bank ahead.
Show answer
A. The road goes through water ahead. It is a worded warning of a ford ahead (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: information signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 121, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Where will you see it?
On country lanes where a stream runs across the road.
What should you do?
Slow right down, check the depth and drive through slowly. Afterwards, test your brakes gently.
What do people get wrong?
Driving through fast. That can splash water into the engine and leaves wet brakes that may not work well.
Common questions
What should I do after driving through a ford?
Test your brakes at the first safe place. If they are not fully working, gently press the brake while driving slowly to dry them (rule 121).
How do I know how deep the water is?
Know your traffic signs says the depth may be shown on a sign, in metric and imperial units or imperial only.
Compare with
Try your brakes signTest your brakes before going on.
Quayside or river bank signThe road leads to a quayside or river bank ahead.
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 4 November 2026 against Know your traffic signs (warning signs; information signs) and The Highway Code rule 121.
- Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK
- Know your traffic signs: information signs, GOV.UK
- The Highway Code, rule 121, GOV.UK
- Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.