Yield here to pedestrians sign: what it means
The Yield Here to Pedestrians sign shows where to yield to people using the crosswalk ahead. It is used with a line of white triangles set back from the crosswalk on multi-lane roads.
What does the yield here to pedestrians sign mean?
MUTCD Section 2B.19 says these signs are used where yield lines are placed before a marked crosswalk across an uncontrolled multi-lane approach, usually 20 to 50 feet before the crosswalk. The aim is to stop a vehicle yielding at the crosswalk from hiding a pedestrian from drivers in the next lane.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- Slow down and let other traffic go first.
- Yield to people crossing at this line.
- People may be crossing ahead.
Show answer
B. Yield to people crossing at this line. It marks where to yield before a crosswalk on a multi-lane road (MUTCD Section 2B.19). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.19, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA
Where will you see it?
On multi-lane streets with a marked crosswalk and no traffic signal or stop sign.
What should you do?
When someone is crossing or about to cross, yield at the triangles, not at the crosswalk. If a car next to you has stopped, slow down and expect a pedestrian in front of it.
What do people get wrong?
Stopping right at the crosswalk. That can hide the pedestrian from a driver in the next lane, which is exactly what the set-back line prevents.
Common questions
Why is the yield line so far before the crosswalk?
So that a vehicle yielding there does not block other drivers’ view of the pedestrian (MUTCD Section 2B.19).
What does the line of triangles on the road mean?
It is a yield line. MUTCD Section 2B.19 says the sign is used where such lines are placed before the crosswalk.
Compare with
Yield signSlow down and let other traffic go first.
Pedestrian crossing signPeople may be crossing ahead.
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Section 2B.19.
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.19, FHWA
- MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025
Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.