Yield sign

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In road transport, a yield (Canada, Ireland, and the United States) or give way (many[weasel words] Commonwealth countries) traffic sign indicates that a driver of a vehicle must slow down and prepare to stop if necessary (usually while merging into traffic on another road) but does not need to stop if there is no reason to. A driver who has actually stopped in this situation is said to have yielded the right-of-way to through traffic on the main road. In contrast, a stop sign always requires a full stop. The first yield sign was installed in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was invented by Tulsan Clinton Riggs.[1]

According to the Federal Highway Administration's (U.S.) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a yield sign may be warranted: [2]

  1. on a minor road at the entrance to an intersection where it is necessary to assign right-of-way to the major road, but where a stop is not necessary at all times, and where the safe approach speed on the minor road exceeds 10 miles per hour;
  2. Entrance to a roundabout. Vehicles in the roundabout have the right-of way.
  3. on the entrance ramp to an expressway where an acceleration lane is not provided;
  4. within an intersection with a divided highway, where a STOP sign is present at the entrance to the first roadway and further control is necessary to the entrance to the second roadway, and where the median width between the two roadways exceeds 40 feet;
  5. where there is a separate or channelized right-turn lane, without an adequate acceleration lane;
  6. at any intersection where a special problem exists and where an engineering study indicates the problem to be susceptible to correction by use of the yield sign.

The same rulebook states that yield signs should not ordinarily be placed to control the major flow of traffic at an intersection.

Give way signs (or just the equivalent road markings) are often used at UK road junctions at which stop signs would have been used in the USA. The signs can be yellow as well.

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