What Does 'Yield' Mean When Driving? How To Safely Navigate The Signs

Most road signs are easy to understand, as they're pretty literal. Do Not Enter simply means to stay away from that certain area. Speed Limit 55 tells you that you shouldn't go over 55mph. No Passing Zone indicates a road where passing the vehicle in front of you isn't allowed. 

But although you can find dozens of these straightforward signs on the highway, there are still some that aren't as self-explanatory as you'd hope, especially if you're a new driver. One of these is the Yield sign. Yield essentially means to give up, and in terms of driving, what you're giving up is the right-of-way. 

You might often notice some motorists stopping at Yield signs, while others don't stop at all. How exactly should you behave when you see one? Let's go over the meaning behind 'yield' in road signs, the many different types you might encounter, and how yield differs from stop. 

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of what 'yield' means, it's important to first understand what the right-of-way is. When someone says they have the right-of-way, then they have the right to move (i.e., travel, turn, change lanes) on that certain road before anyone else. States usually establish the right-of-way rules, and to give motorists cues on how to proceed, road signs, like the Yield sign, are installed.

To yield means to give the other drivers, bicyclists, or pedestrians on the road you're entering the right-of-way. This way, you can safely avoid crashing into each other. Most of the time, you'll see Yield signs at locations, where stopping is optional when there's minimal traffic. These can include four-way intersections, roundabouts, and merging highways, especially one with a minor road.

Design-wise, a Yield sign comes in an upside-down white triangle with a red border. It's the only traffic sign shaped this way. However, when it was first included in the 1954 revision of the 1948 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), it was a yellow with black Yield Right Of Way writing instead. It was only in the 1971 edition that the Yield sign was revised to have its current red and white appearance. You might still see yellow Yield signs in the wild, but know that they function just the same as the red Yield signs.

A Yield sign doesn't necessarily mean you have to do a full stop. What you need to do instead is slow down as you get closer to the sign. This will give you enough time to assess the traffic conditions on the road you want to go into.

If you see any motorist, bicyclist, or pedestrian closely approaching from the other direction, stop completely to let them pass. But keep in mind that you should do so before you reach the Stop Line (a solid white marking painted across your lane). You can then proceed once it's safe.

If there's no imminent oncoming traffic, you don't have to stop at all before entering the road. You can simply go on your merry way. Just make sure that when you do go, the people with the right-of-way shouldn't have to do anything — say, slow down or brake — just to accommodate and avoid you. You should always be the one accommodating them. If you know that your presence in their path would possibly interrupt them, you should stop before continuing. Otherwise, even modern car safety features might not help you avoid an accident. 

Besides the generic triangle-shaped red-and-white Yield sign, you can also see other signs with the word 'yield' in them. Here are some of these road signs and what they mean:

• Yield To Pedestrians or Yield Here to Pedestrians: A square or rectangular sign showing the triangular Yield sign and placed 20 to 50 feet before the crosswalk. If you see this, you need to yield when pedestrians are crossing the street.
• Yield To Oncoming Traffic: A Yield sign accompanied by a supplementary "To Oncoming Traffic" plaque below. You can usually find this at one-lane underpasses and bridges, where you'll need to yield to the vehicles coming from the other direction.
• Left Turn Yield on Green or Left Turn Yield on Flashing Yellow Arrow: You can turn left once the traffic light is green/flashing yellow arrow, but oncoming traffic has the right-of-way, so make sure to comply.
• Left Turn Yield On Flashing Red Arrow After Stop: You can do a left turn only after you've stopped, if the signal is a flashing red arrow, and there's a safe gap between you and other vehicles.
• Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians: If you'll be turning either on a green or red signal, give way to pedestrians first.
• U-Turn Yield to Right Turn: Traffic turning right has the right-of-way, so you'll need to yield if you're making a U-turn.
• Right Turn On Red Must Yield To U-Turn: If you're turning right after stopping on a red signal, you have to give way to vehicles making a U-turn.
• Begin Right Turn Lane Yield to Bikes: Before changing into the right turn lane, yield to passing bicycles first.
• Bicycles Yield to Peds: Pedestrians have the right-of-way, so if you're on a bicycle, always yield.

Anywhere else you see a Yield sign, it's best to come to a slow to avoid unwanted collisions.

Unlike Yield signs that give you multiple options on how to proceed, Stop signs are more restrictive. The only choice you have at a Stop sign is to slow down to a stop — that's it. There's no room for misinterpretation.

When approaching a Stop sign, stop completely but don't go beyond the Stop Line or Crosswalk. If the lane doesn't have any pavement markings, anywhere before the right-of-way road is good as long as you can clearly see oncoming traffic on the road you want to go into. After stopping and checking that it's safe to enter the road, feel free to go. If the intersection you're crossing has stop signs at every corner, the right-of-way goes to the first driver who came to the Stop sign. If you both arrive at the same time, the motorist on the right has the right-of-way, and those on the left should wait for them to pass before going.

Stop signs are also red like Yield signs, but they're octagonal in shape (the only one designed as such), so you won't mistake them for anything else.