Motorway sign
Keep apart 2 chevrons sign
What does the Keep 2 chevrons sign mean?
Keep at least two of the white chevrons painted on the road between you and the vehicle in front.
Also known as: Chevron spacing sign
What it means
Use the chevron markings in the lane to check your distance: keep at least two chevrons between you and the vehicle in front.
On some motorways, white V-shaped chevrons are painted in the middle of each lane, 40 metres apart. Keeping two between you and the vehicle in front gives a safe distance at 70 mph.
This works out at about a two-second gap. In the wet, leave at least double the gap.
Where you'll see it
On motorway stretches with chevron markings painted in the lanes.
Rules to know
The chevron markings are spaced 40 metres apart, and keeping two marks between your vehicle and the one in front will provide a safe driving distance at 70 mph.
Know Your Traffic Signs, p. 103
Allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on high-speed roads. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and up to ten times greater on icy roads.
The Highway Code, Rule 126
Common mistakes
Mistake: Keeping two chevrons apart in the rain.
Instead: Two chevrons is for good conditions. Leave at least twice the gap on wet roads.
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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
Traffic queues likely ahead
Warning sign
Another reason to leave a bigger gap.
See also
Advised speed (motorway signal)
Motorway sign
A motorway signal advising a lower speed.
More motorway signs
All motorway signsSources
- Know Your Traffic Signs (Department for Transport, Sixth edition, 2023), Motorway signs, signals and road markings, p. 103
- The Highway Code, Rule 126
Sign image: Department for Transport, Traffic sign images (diagram 2933). © 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