Width limitSwitzerland
42. Width limit
A width limit prohibits vehicles or vehicle combinations whose total width exceeds the value shown from entering or passing a road section, bridge, tunnel, gateway or other narrow passage. The width includes the vehicle’s load and any equipment or objects extending from its sides.
Drivers must know the maximum travelling width of their vehicle and load, observe advance warnings and use an alternative route when necessary. They should never enter when sufficient lateral clearance is uncertain.
Wikimedia.org • Marc Mongenet • CC BY-SA
What does a posted vehicle-width restriction mean in Switzerland?
The maximum-width sign prohibits passage by a vehicle whose width, including its load, exceeds the stated limit. Specific vehicle classes have an exception for roads signed 2.30 m under the Traffic Rules Ordinance; do not assume an ordinary car or van is exempt.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(1); OCR article 64(2); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026
Vehicles wider than indicated prohibited.
English • Traffic sign 2.18 • Maximum width.
Deutsch • Verkehrssignal 2.18 • Höchstbreite.
Français • Signal 2.18 • Largeur maximale.
Italiano • Segnale 2.18 • Larghezza massima.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • SSV, Anhang 2 (DE)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSR, annexe 2 (FR)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSStr, allegato 2 (IT)
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Bundesamt für Strassen (ASTRA) • Public domain • Original revision 2017-07-04. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Swiss signalling ordinance, version 1 October 2026, annex 2: Fedlex.admin.ch • Signal 2.18, PDF page 105. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
How should you check the width of a loaded vehicle in Switzerland?
Check the vehicle width including its load against the signed limit. Allow physical space for projecting fittings such as mirrors as well. Any specific legal exception must actually apply to your vehicle; it does not guarantee safe clearance.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(1); OCR article 64(2); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026
Can a driver ignore a width restriction if the road looks wide enough in Switzerland?
No. A regulatory width limit must be obeyed unless an applicable exemption or authorised arrangement permits entry. Check your route before driving a wide van, trailer or load through a narrow town, bridge or roadworks section.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(1); OCR article 64(2); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026

Traffic rules
Switzerland