The YIELD sign Slow down · stop only if you must
At a YIELD sign, slow down and be ready to stop. Let vehicles that are in the intersection or coming close on the other road go first, and keep yielding until you can go safely.
CVC 21803(a) · CA Driver's Handbook, "Red YIELD Sign"
Do you have to stop at a YIELD sign in California?
Only when someone on the other road is close. At a YIELD sign you slow down, be ready to stop, and let close traffic go first (CVC 21803(a)).
Why this rule exists
The traffic on the other road has no sign and keeps its speed. Slowing down early gives you the time to judge the gap, and to stop if there is none.
Step by step on the road
- Spot the YIELD sign early and ease off the gas.
- Slow down enough that you could stop at the sign if you have to.
- Look along the other road. Vehicles already in the intersection, and vehicles coming close, go first.
- Let bicyclists and pedestrians pass too.
- If someone is close, stop and keep yielding until you can go safely. If the road is clear, go on without stopping.
Common mistakes
- Coming in so fast that there is no time to judge the gap.
- Pulling out in front of a close car because the sign is not a STOP sign.
- Stopping every time, even when the other road is empty: the sign asks you to yield, not to stop every time.
On the DMV drive test
The examiner checks your traffic check in every action: you look ahead, left and right, and turn your head toward other road users when needed. At an intersection the DL 32 score sheet marks traffic check, speed, yield and unnecessary stops. DL 955 says not to stop unless another vehicle, a bicyclist or a pedestrian, a sign or a signal requires it, or to avoid a collision. Any action that makes another driver or a pedestrian take evasive action is a critical driving error, and one critical error fails the test.
Based on the DMV’s Driving Test Criteria (DL 955) and its score sheet (DL 32). How the drive test works ›Questions people ask
What is the difference between a YIELD sign and a STOP sign?
At a STOP sign you always make a full stop. At a YIELD sign you slow down and stop only if you must, to let vehicles, bicyclists or pedestrians pass.
Who has the right-of-way at a YIELD sign?
The traffic on the other road. CVC 21803(a): yield to vehicles that have entered the intersection or are close enough to be an immediate hazard, until you can go on with reasonable safety.
Do you have to yield to pedestrians at a YIELD sign?
Yes. The California Driver's Handbook says to be ready to stop to let any vehicle, bicyclist or pedestrian pass before you go on.
Test yourself
Kees' three questions on this rule, the “Did you know?” facts and his tip come with the drive, in Voorrah! Pro.
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