Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Warning Signs

What does this Added Lane sign tell a driver about the road ahead?

Yellow diamond with two black upward arrows; the right arrow curves up from below to run parallel with the straight left arrow, separated by a dashed line.
  1. A.
    A new lane joins from the right; no one is required to merge. Correct
  2. B.
    The right lane ends ahead, so merge left before it closes.
  3. C.
    Two lanes narrow into one lane ahead.
  4. D.
    The right lane becomes an exit-only lane ahead.
The Why

The answer is "A new lane joins from the right; no one is required to merge."

The Added Lane sign says a new lane joins from the right, so through traffic can hold its lane without having to merge. The trap is the lane-ends warning: a similar yellow diamond, but one whose arrows narrow two lanes into one. Drivers who remember the shape but not which way the arrows run read this as a command to merge left, when the join happens on its own.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. The right lane ends ahead, so merge left before it closes.

Reverses the sign's meaning by treating it as a lane-ends warning; the Added Lane sign shows lanes joining, not one lane closing. Assumed any yellow diamond involving lanes must be telling a driver to merge left.

C. Two lanes narrow into one lane ahead.

Describes a lane-reduction warning, which is a different diamond showing two lanes coming together into one. Recalled that the warning uses a yellow diamond and picked the version that shows a squeeze.

D. The right lane becomes an exit-only lane ahead.

Describes an Exit Only lane, which is signed with a black-on-yellow rectangular Exit Only panel, not a yellow diamond. Grabbed at the phrase 'right lane' without noticing this warning shows lanes coming together, not one peeling off.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Warning Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign W4-3R (Added Lane (Right))..

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