How fast may you go over a speed bump?

The sign prescribes no speed. If a panel below shows a number, that is advice matched to the bump.

Can you be fined for going too fast over a bump?

Not for the sign itself, but you can be for driving too fast for the conditions or exceeding the local speed limit.

Why is the sign triangular?

Triangular with a red border always signals a warning about something ahead in the RVV.

J38

Speed bump

Warning

Sign code: J38
Category: Warning
Traffic signs: Warning: speed bump.

Sign J38 warns of a speed bump. The sign does not impose a specific speed, but you should be going slowly enough to cross it without a jolt. A supplementary panel with an advisory speed is often fitted below it.

What to do at sign J38

Brake before you reach the bump, not on it. Braking on the bump itself unsettles the car and is uncomfortable for your passengers.

If a panel below shows a speed, that is advice matched to the height of the bump.

How to recognise the sign

J38 is a triangular sign with a red border and a black hump in the middle. Triangular with a red border always means a warning in the RVV: something is coming up.

Where you will see it

In 30 km/h zones, near schools, in residential areas, and on roads where the council wants to bring speeds down without enforcement.

J38 on the CBR theory exam

Warning signs mostly appear in hazard perception. The question is not what the sign means but what you do: off the accelerator and brake before you get there.

Difference from J17, road narrows

Both are triangular warning signs, but J38 shows a hump in side view and J17 two lines converging. J38 is about height, J17 about width.

J17, road narrows

Frequently asked questions

How fast may you go over a speed bump?: The sign prescribes no speed. If a panel below shows a number, that is advice matched to the bump.
Can you be fined for going too fast over a bump?: Not for the sign itself, but you can be for driving too fast for the conditions or exceeding the local speed limit.
Why is the sign triangular?: Triangular with a red border always signals a warning about something ahead in the RVV.

Practise this sign for your theory exam

Speed bump belongs to the Warning category. In the CBR theory exam a traffic sign is almost never asked on its own: you are shown a situation and have to know what you may or must do in it. In the free sign trainer you practise the signs by category, with the explanation shown right after every answer.

Practise traffic signs for free

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