Yield in driving means you let others go first —you give them the right- of-way and only move when it’s clearly safe.

What “yield” means in plain English

When you yield while driving, you:

  • Slow down as you approach.
  • Check for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.
  • Be ready to stop if someone else has the right-of-way.
  • Go only if the road is clear and you won’t force anyone to brake or swerve.

In other words, the other person has priority, and you adjust your speed (or stop) so they can go through safely.

Yield vs. stop

  • Yield sign : You do not have to come to a complete stop if it’s clearly safe; you just slow, check, and proceed when there’s no conflict.
  • Stop sign : You must fully stop every time, even if no one is there, then go when it’s your turn.

A good rule of thumb: at a yield, you’re “on standby”; at a stop, you’re “paused” until you move again.

Common situations where you yield

You typically need to yield when:

  1. Entering a main road from a smaller road or driveway.
  2. Merging onto a highway or expressway.
  3. Approaching a roundabout (you yield to traffic already inside).
  4. Turning left across oncoming traffic.
  5. Crossing where pedestrians have right-of-way (crosswalks, intersections).

If you’re not sure who should go, it’s usually safer to yield and wait a second rather than rush.

A quick story-style example

Imagine you’re coming down a side street and see a yield sign before a busy main road.
You slow down, look left and right, and notice a car approaching on the main road.
You wait and let that car pass —that’s yielding. Once it goes by and the lane is clear, you pull out smoothly without making anyone brake hard or swerve. That simple choice—waiting a moment—reduces crash risk and keeps traffic flowing calmly. TL;DR: Yield means “give way”: slow down, be ready to stop, let others with the right-of-way go first, and only proceed when it’s clearly safe and you won’t cut anyone off.