Regulatory sign · MUTCD R1-2
Yield Sign
Slow down and give the right-of-way to traffic and pedestrians on the road you are entering or crossing. Stop if necessary.
- Shape
- Downward-pointing triangle
- Color
- Red border, white center, red YIELD letters
What to do
Ease off the gas as you approach and check for traffic and pedestrians. If anyone is coming, let them pass; come to a full stop if that is the only safe way to do so. Enter only when there is a safe gap.
Where you see it
At intersections, freeway on-ramps, roundabout entrances and merge points where crossing traffic has priority.
Test trap
Students often answer that Yield means 'always stop' or 'never stop'. Neither is right: you stop only if needed to let others pass. Do not confuse it with the pennant-shaped No Passing Zone sign, which is also a triangle but points sideways and is yellow.
Memory tip: Point down means 'let them through' — triangle tip toward the ground, Yield.
Practice question
A downward-pointing triangle sign means:
- Stop
- Yield
- Merge
- Curve ahead
Answer: B. The downward triangle is the YIELD sign: slow down and give the right-of-way to traffic and pedestrians.
Road signs: regulatory signs