Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Right of Way

What does a yield sign require you to do at an intersection?

  1. A.
    Slow down, check for traffic, and give the right-of-way to cross traffic and pedestrians. Correct
  2. B.
    Come to a complete stop before proceeding, exactly like a stop sign.
  3. C.
    Maintain your speed if you can time your entry between passing vehicles.
  4. D.
    Speed up to clear the intersection before cross traffic reaches it.
The Why

The answer is "Slow down, check for traffic, and give the right-of-way to cross traffic and pedestrians."

A yield sign requires you to slow down, check for cross traffic and pedestrians, and give them the right-of-way; the manual says you stop only when a full stop is necessary to yield safely. Drivers who file a yield sign as a softer stop sign pick B, applying octagonal stop-sign discipline to a triangular sign that reserves the full stop for cases where nothing less will let you yield safely.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Come to a complete stop before proceeding, exactly like a stop sign.

The manual specifies that at a yield sign you stop only when it is necessary; a yield is not a stop sign. This answer applies octagonal stop-sign discipline to every triangular yield sign, treating yield as a safer stop rather than a slow-and-check duty.

C. Maintain your speed if you can time your entry between passing vehicles.

The manual requires you to slow down first, then check and yield; holding your speed skips the slow-down step the sign requires. This answer treats the yield sign as an advisory hint about timing a gap in traffic rather than a required slow-and-check duty.

D. Speed up to clear the intersection before cross traffic reaches it.

The manual calls for yielding to cross traffic, not racing it; accelerating through a yield contradicts the rule. This answer borrows merge-onto-highway thinking, reading the yield sign as a nudge to hurry through the next available gap.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Signs: Regulatory Signs (Yield)," p.10..

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