Merge sign: what it means
The Merge sign warns that traffic from another road will merge into your lane ahead. Be ready to adjust your speed and let it in safely.
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What it means
MUTCD Section 2C.45: the Merge sign may be used to warn road users on the major road that merging movements may be met ahead, where lanes from two separate roadways come together as a single lane.
A Merge sign may also face drivers on the entering road, to warn them of the merge.
Where you see it
On highways before entrance ramps, and where two roads come together.
A common mistake
Speeding up to block a merging car. Adjust your speed, or change lanes when it is safe, to make space.
Quick quiz
What does the Merge sign warn drivers on the main road about?
- Traffic joining from another roadway
- A lane closing for repairs
- A one-way street
Show answer
A. Traffic joining from another roadway. Section 2C.45: lanes from two separate roadways converge into one. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.45, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA
Compare with
Lane ends signOne lane ends; move over in good time.
Yield signSlow down and let other traffic go first.
White lane linesWhite lines separate lanes going the same way.
Next in warning signs: Lane ends sign. See all warning signs or the full road signs list.
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Sources
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.45, 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.