The Meaning of Yield Signs

This is to all of you drivers out there that do not understand the concept of a yield sign.

Before we even get into all the nitty-gritty, let's just review the basics. Dude in the red car getting on 83 at exit 19 this morning around 9:27 this morning, pay attention.

This is a yield sign.


It should look vaguely familiar as you did need to learn about it when studying for your driver's license exam and it can be commonly found at on and off ramps of major highways.

When one sees a yield sign this is the course of action one should take according to a PennDOT press release dated November 5.

"When you see a yield sign, you must slow down, check for traffic and give the right-of-way to approaching cross traffic. You stop only when necessary and proceed when you can do so safely without interfering with normal traffic flow. Remember, you must have a sufficient gap in traffic before you can continue on at yield sign locations."

So are we good on the basics? Red Car Man, you okay? Am I going to fast for you? Good. Then let's move on to this morning's incident, so I can explain to you how you are a bad driver.

I'm making a Starbucks run this morning because normally we get Starbucks on Fridays, BUT tomorrow is a holiday, so we voted and decided that technically, today is Friday. So I'm in my car driving to Starbucks when I come to this lovely little section of highway (Please excuse the crude Paint drawing. It's not pretty, but I think it gets the point across.)



I need to exit the interstate using the exit ramp. The on ramp and exit ramp happen to share the same ramp. Inconvenient, but that's just the way it was designed. So since I need to use the exit ramp, I'm in the far right lane of this 4-lane highway. As I'm passing the on ramp, you, Little Red Car Man, are coming up the on ramp and start onto the shared ramp section at the same time that I need to veer over onto the shared ramp section, so that I can exit the highway.

Now, I've used this particular on ramp many times, so I know there is a yield sign. Little Red Car Man, unless you are blind, you can also see that there is a yield sign. But do you pay attention to the yield sign?

No, you do not.

Instead, you continues to drive down the shared ramp section right beside me, so that I can not pull over. Instead, I have to step on my brake causing the full line of traffic behind me going 65 MPH to have to brake as well. Because you, Little Red Car Man, do not understand the basics of a yield sign, I am forced to yield to you in the MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY!

Do you understand, Little Red Car Man, how you caused a dangerous situation not only for me, but for all the cars behind me? How, had there been an accident, you would have been responsible?

Oh, yes. It would have been your fault. How do I know? Because when Stonewall was 17ish, at the EXACT same exit, the EXACT same thing occurred. The only difference is Stonewall, who was in my position, met the guard rail of the off ramp face-to-face when he wasn't able to slow down in time because the driver in your position, Little Red Car Man, didn't yield and give Stonewall enough time and space to merge onto the shared ramp and slow down before the sharp turn to the right.

Little Red Car Man, let me direct your attention back to the PennDOT explanation of a yield sign. Read it, learn it, and DO IT!