Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Regulatory Signs

What does this yield sign require of a driver approaching it?

Downward-pointing red triangle with a white interior triangle and the word YIELD in red letters.
  1. A.
    Slow down, give the right-of-way to cross traffic and pedestrians, and stop if needed. Correct
  2. B.
    Stop completely at the line every time before entering the intersection.
  3. C.
    Speed up through the intersection to clear it before cross traffic arrives.
  4. D.
    Continue at the posted speed unless a signal or officer directs otherwise.
The Why

The answer is "Slow down, give the right-of-way to cross traffic and pedestrians, and stop if needed."

A yield sign asks a driver to slow, scan for cross traffic and pedestrians, and stop only when someone else has the right-of-way; if the way is clear, the driver may roll through without stopping. The trap is the answer that turns the triangle into a stop sign because both signs are red, but the octagon demands a halt every time and the downward triangle demands one only when a conflict is present.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Stop completely at the line every time before entering the intersection.

A full halt at a yield is only required when cross traffic or pedestrians have the right-of-way; a clear approach may be taken without stopping. This answer carries the stop-sign rule over to the triangle because both regulatory signs are red.

C. Speed up through the intersection to clear it before cross traffic arrives.

The device orders a driver to slow and surrender priority, not to accelerate ahead of the vehicles it protects. This answer reads yield as a cue to race through rather than as a command to give way.

D. Continue at the posted speed unless a signal or officer directs otherwise.

A yield sign is itself a regulatory device that controls the approach; no signal or officer is needed to trigger its rule. This answer assumes only a light or a person in uniform can create an obligation at an intersection.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Regulatory Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign R1-2 (Yield)..

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