Give way ahead sign
There is a give way sign just ahead, so slow down and get ready to give way.
- Group
- Warning signs
- The group at a distance
- Diamond, standing on one point, with no exceptions in this group. Yellow ground, black symbol.
- Does this group carry the law
- Not enforceable on its own. It changes nothing about right of way.
- In the sign deck
- 3 questions ask about this sign
What to do when you see it
In the order you do it, from the moment the sign comes into view.
- Come off the accelerator and begin slowing as soon as you see it.
- Look along the road you are about to enter for gaps.
- Arrive at the give way sign already slow enough to stop if you need to.
Where you see it
On higher speed approaches to intersections where the give way sign is hidden by a bend, a crest or vegetation, and where an intersection has recently been changed.
Across the states and territories
Used nationally. It appears more on rural approaches, where the difference between arriving at 100 km/h and arriving prepared is what the sign is buying you.
Tell it apart from these
Both signs at the same size, next to each other, with the one line that separates them. These are the pairs people mix up under time pressure.
- Give way aheadthis pageGive way
The triangle is the duty. The yellow diamond is the notice that the duty is coming.
Give way: Slow down and be ready to stop so you can give way to any traffic or pedestrians already there.
- Give way aheadthis pageStop ahead
Read the symbol inside the diamond rather than the diamond itself, because the two carry very different requirements at the intersection.
Stop ahead: There is a stop sign just ahead, so slow down and prepare to stop completely.
How the knowledge tests use it
Questions usually ask what a warning sign requires, and the answer is preparation rather than a legal duty at the sign itself.
A real question from the sign deckWhat does this sign mean?
A yellow diamond showing a give way triangle is a warning that the real give way point is coming. It is used where you would not see the sign in time.
State and territory driver handbooks, warning signs
Try it in a question
The sign tests draw the artwork above the question and ask what it means, which is closer to the way you meet a sign on the road than reading a page about it. They are original questions written for this site rather than an agency's published bank.
More warning signs
Yellow diamond with a black symbol.