Soft verges sign: what it means
The soft verges sign warns that the grass or ground beside the road is soft. A plate may show how far it goes on.
What does the soft verges sign mean?
Know your traffic signs describes it as “soft verges for distance shown”. The symbol shows a car with a wheel off the road and tipping over.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- The road surface ahead is uneven.
- The road leads to a quayside or river bank ahead.
- The verges beside the road are soft.
Show answer
C. The verges beside the road are soft. It warns of soft verges for the distance shown (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Where will you see it?
On country roads, on new roads and after road works, where the edge of the road is not firm.
What should you do?
Keep your wheels on the road. Pass oncoming traffic slowly instead of pulling onto the verge.
What do people get wrong?
Pulling onto the verge to let a large vehicle pass. Slow down or stop on the road instead.
Common questions
What does the plate under it mean?
A plate can show the distance over which the verges are soft.
Can I park on the verge?
Not where this sign warns that it is soft. Find a firm place to stop.
Compare with
Uneven road signThe road surface ahead is uneven.
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) and The Highway Code (traffic signs).
- Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK
- The Highway Code: traffic signs, 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.