Motorway sign
Countdown markers sign
What does the Countdown markers sign mean?
Shows the distance to the next motorway exit. Each bar is about 100 yards, so three bars means about 300 yards.
Also known as: 300 yards to exit, Exit countdown markers
What it means
The bars count down the distance to the start of the deceleration lane for the next exit: three, two and then one bar.
Countdown markers come in a set of three, at about 300, 200 and 100 yards before the exit. Each bar stands for roughly 100 yards.
If you are leaving, be in the left-hand lane and signal in good time, so you can move into the deceleration lane and slow down there rather than on the main carriageway.
Where you'll see it
On the left-hand side of the motorway before an exit with a deceleration lane.
Rules to know
Countdown markers indicate the distance to the start of the deceleration lane. Each bar represents about 100 yards.
Know Your Traffic Signs, p. 93
Lane-drop junctions, where a lane leads straight off the motorway, do not use countdown markers.
Know Your Traffic Signs, p. 94
Countdown markers before concealed level crossings are white with red bars. They are evenly spaced, but the bars do not represent 100-yard intervals.
The Highway Code, Traffic signs
Common mistakes
Mistake: Assuming every set of countdown markers means 100 yards a bar.
Instead: That is true at motorway exits. The markers before a level crossing divide the distance into three, whatever it is.
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© Crown copyright. Free to reuse under the Open Government Licence v3.0, as long as the sign is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context.
Related signs
See also
Start of motorway
Motorway sign
Where motorway regulations begin.
See also
End of motorway
Motorway sign
Where motorway regulations end.
More motorway signs
All motorway signs
Sources
- Know Your Traffic Signs (Department for Transport, Sixth edition, 2023), Motorway signs, signals and road markings, p. 93
- The Highway Code, Traffic signs
Sign image: Department for Transport, Traffic sign images (diagram 823). © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026. This page explains the sign in our own words; for the full rules, see The Highway Code. How we source and check content