Give way sign: what it means

Give way sign: a white triangle pointing down, with a red border and the words GIVE WAY
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

The give way sign means you must give way to traffic on the major road. Unlike a stop sign, it does not make you stop if the way is clear.

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What it means

Highway Code rule 172: you must give way to traffic on the main road when you come out of a junction with broken white lines across the road. The sign usually stands with those lines and a white triangle painted on the road.

It is a triangle, but it points down. That makes it one of the two notable exceptions to the shape rules: upward triangles warn, while this downward one gives an order.

Where you see it

At junctions where a minor road joins a major road. Know your traffic signs notes that at quieter junctions the sign, or both the sign and the triangle painted on the road, may be left out. Then the broken lines alone tell you to give way.

A common mistake

Either stopping every time as if it were a stop sign, or rolling out without a proper look. Look early, and stop only when you need to.

Quick quiz

A car on the major road is close enough that it would have to brake if you pulled out. What should you do at a give way sign?

  1. Pull out quickly
  2. Wait for a safe gap
  3. Flash your lights and go
Show answer

B. Wait for a safe gap. You must give way to traffic on the major road, so let it pass first. Source: The Highway Code, rule 172, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: No entry sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. The Highway Code, rule 172, GOV.UK
  2. Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK
  3. The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK
  4. Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.