Upon approaching a yield sign, what does the law require you to do?
- Stop, and then enter traffic quickly
- Speed up and force your way into traffic
- Slow down, stop if necessary and proceed only when the way is clear ✓
- Stop, and then enter traffic slowly
Answer: C. Slow down, stop if necessary and proceed only when the way is clear
When you approach a yield sign, slow down, stop if necessary, and go ahead only once the way is clear.
Why this is the answer
The handbook describes the yield sign as a triangle with a white background and a red border, and says it means you must let traffic in the intersection or close to it go first. At a controlled intersection facing a yield sign, the rule is to slow down or stop if necessary and wait until the way is clear before driving through. So slowing is the basic action, a full stop is only needed when traffic makes it necessary, and moving off depends on the way being clear.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Stop, and then enter traffic quickly — A stop is not always required at a yield sign, and entering traffic quickly is the opposite of yielding to the traffic that is already there.
- B. Speed up and force your way into traffic — Speeding up and forcing your way in ignores the whole point of the sign, which is to let traffic in the intersection or close to it go first.
- D. Stop, and then enter traffic slowly — You are not required to come to a full stop every time, and creeping in slowly does not satisfy the requirement to wait until the way is clear.
Remember it
Red-bordered triangle is the polite sign: the other traffic goes first, and you only follow once the way is clear.