A yellow diamond warning sign shows two lanes going the same direction joining into one. What should you be ready to do?
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A.
Stop before the merge point and wait for a gap
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B.
Change lanes or allow other traffic to merge in Correct
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C.
Speed up to reach the merge point before others
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D.
Turn on your hazard lights until the merge ends
The answer is "Change lanes or allow other traffic to merge in"
A merging lanes sign tells you that two lanes going the same direction will soon merge into one, so be ready to change lanes or let another driver merge in. Answer A, 'stop before the merge point,' is the trap: drivers who apply the yield-sign rule of stopping when needed pick it, but a merge asks you to adjust speed and position with the flow, not to come to a full stop in the lane.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop before the merge point and wait for a gap
A merge asks you to adjust speed and position, not to stop; stopping in a live lane creates a crash risk. This answer applies the yield-sign rule of coming to a stop when needed to a warning that does not require it.
C. Speed up to reach the merge point before others
Racing to the choke point is unsafe and is not what the merging lanes sign directs. This answer reads the sign as a race to the merge, a habit picked up in heavy traffic rather than from the manual.
D. Turn on your hazard lights until the merge ends
Hazard lights are for stopped or disabled vehicles, not for a routine lane merge. This answer borrows the hazard-light habit some drivers use in rain or fog for a situation the manual does not name it for.
This question tests your knowledge of Warning Signs in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Warning Signs," p.72..
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