Yield signs: please tell me I'm not insane. (Portland, Bangor: camper, safe)

[CoastalMaineiac]

Oi vey! I went out for a drive today. A few of the side roads had yield signs. I had to deal with a few myself.

Fellow Mainers, this is how I was taught to deal with a yield sign:

First, check for traffic. If there are any cars coming, slow down or stop (as necessary) to allow them to pass, and then proceed when it is safe to do so. If you can't see, assume there are cars coming and be ready to stop at the intersection if there really is anything coming.

I ran into a number of people today who seemed to think that procedure applied to me, even when the yield sign was facing them. I'm looking at you, people on I-95! Normally, I move left, but today, that wasn't an option, unless I was supposed to drive underneath the semi-trailer that was right beside me.

I know the idea of matching the speed of traffic on the Interstate to merge in. I also know that if it is not safe to merge, the merging traffic is supposed to yield to the through traffic; Maine very blatantly reminds everyone of that fact with the standard red and white triangles on all of I-95's entrance ramps. I left plenty of space ahead of me, and there was plenty of space behind me, but this guy still made me hit the brakes!

I see that behavior other in other situations as well, not just on Interstate-style entrance ramps. I would say the most common places are at Interstate entrances and rotary entrances, but I see it more and more at plain intersections as well, even at intersections where you can't really see all that well! So please tell me, have I missed the memo? Has the word "yield" changed to mean "barge in, regardless of traffic"?

[western mass and love it]

LOL absolutely no one yields in Mass, whether it be on the highways or regular streets or rotaries. Two years ago I was on 495 south just south of Lowell pulling my camper behind my truck. I usually travel in the right lane while towing just because I generally keep it at 65. At the onramp this 57 year old lady in a Volvo just blasted onto the highway without ever looking or yielding. I had absolutely no where to go and she slammed right into my camper causing me to swerve and hit the truck next to me causing him to hit the car in the left lane. Instead of taking the few seconds to yield she was in such a rush she caused 230K worth of damage to 7 different cars and my camper, not to mention the injuries(thankfully nothing major) and the 35 mile backup because she basically shut down the highway.

Needless to say I now travel in the middle lane while towing.

[Maineguy04654]

Wanna see stupid get into a 18 wheeler and drive on the interstate at 75 and see how many people yield in front of you when they merge doing 40 and you ar going 75 at 80 thousand pounds.

[arctichomesteader]

Some of those merge lanes on 95 around Bangor are insanely short for the amount of traffic there.

[SATX56]

It's called failure to yield right of way... They rarely even yield at stop signs here! Yield signs may as well be "Go" signs. If it weren't for (good) defensive drivers there'd be a lot of bunged up stupid drivers.

[ClownShoes]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaineiac

Oi vey! I went out for a drive today. A few of the side roads had yield signs. I had to deal with a few myself.

Fellow Mainers, this is how I was taught to deal with a yield sign:

First, check for traffic. If there are any cars coming, slow down or stop (as necessary) to allow them to pass, and then proceed when it is safe to do so. If you can't see, assume there are cars coming and be ready to stop at the intersection if there really is anything coming.

I ran into a number of people today who seemed to think that procedure applied to me, even when the yield sign was facing them. I'm looking at you, people on I-95! Normally, I move left, but today, that wasn't an option, unless I was supposed to drive underneath the semi-trailer that was right beside me.

I know the idea of matching the speed of traffic on the Interstate to merge in. I also know that if it is not safe to merge, the merging traffic is supposed to yield to the through traffic; Maine very blatantly reminds everyone of that fact with the standard red and white triangles on all of I-95's entrance ramps. I left plenty of space ahead of me, and there was plenty of space behind me, but this guy still made me hit the brakes!

I see that behavior other in other situations as well, not just on Interstate-style entrance ramps. I would say the most common places are at Interstate entrances and rotary entrances, but I see it more and more at plain intersections as well, even at intersections where you can't really see all that well! So please tell me, have I missed the memo? Has the word "yield" changed to mean "barge in, regardless of traffic"?

Love when they fail to yield, then take their time getting up to the speed limit.
Yielding or merging on to the highway ends at the Connecticut state line once you leave NY and continues the entire trip north.

[bangorme]

The trick to merging is to get to the speed limit BEFORE you merge. That's the part that Mainers don't get and can't coordinate. So, they mosey on to the interstate at 40 mph and wonder why everyone is swerving all over the place.

[Radio Flyer]

Agree with everything everyone has mentioned, but I'd like to add a related pet peeve...

When you're on the highway, driving in the far right lane and another driver is trying to merge from an onramp---if the lane on your left is open, could you maybe move over? You know, just to be polite. That would be great.

I always wonder if these drivers are arrogant road hogs or they're just oblivious to their surroundings.

[JoulesMSU]

The problem is that this is not a universal setup. I am from Michigan where there is no such thing as a "yield sign" to get onto the freeway. Once you are on the on-ramp, you are expected to accelerate (as quickly as possible) up to freeway speeds and then to merge when you actually get in position to do so. I feel like this is a common belief for lots of people, regardless of whether there is a "yield sign" or not (especially if they are from places where that is how it works).

Yield signs, as the OP indicated, mean to literally come to a stop if there is traffic and then go. But that doesn't make sense for a freeway. You can't join a 65 mph line of traffic from a complete stop, it's just not reasonable.

Drivers who are on the freeway already should accommodate incoming cars, just because there is only so much space before they have to merge AND because they shouldn't be expected to come to a stop. But again, the yield signs cause a misunderstanding because drivers on the freeway (like the OP) think that the incoming cars (with a yield sign) should yield to them. But that's generally not how freeway traffic works - the cars already on the freeway are responsible for letting the new cars on. If it means YOU have to yield (slow down) to do so, then you do. Although ideally you'd just get over so that you each have your own lane.

Basically, if you are on the freeway already, and someone is coming from the on-ramp, you have three options:

1) Move into another lane (best choice, if possible)
2) Speed up to allow the slower merger get in behind you
3) Slow down to allow the merger to get in front of you before his lane ends

If you don't take into account his situation (that his lane is ending and he shouldn't be expected to come to a complete stop) then you are just asking for trouble IMO.


------------

So OP is "technically" correct that is how yield signs SHOULD work, but the State of Maine shouldn't have yield signs on on-ramps in the first place, so they should generally be ignored in those situations and the freeway drivers should yield to new traffic (or otherwise accommodate them).

Otherwise it would create a much more unsafe situation in which you have cars trying to join the freeway from a standstill and also causing a huge backlog of traffic on the on-ramp from everyone behind him who is also waiting to join (also from a standstill).

So, yes, if you are at a yield sign like the corner of Broadway/Cottage in South Portland then moving traffic has the right of way and you need to stop and wait for them. But if you are at a yield sign on I-95 or I-295, that sign shouldn't be there, and you should merge on without stopping.

[CoastalMaineiac]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

Agree with everything everyone has mentioned, but I'd like to add a related pet peeve...

When you're on the highway, driving in the far right lane and another driver is trying to merge from an onramp---if the lane on your left is open, could you maybe move over? You know, just to be polite. That would be great.

I always wonder if these drivers are arrogant road hogs or they're just oblivious to their surroundings.

I think I can count on one hand the reasons when I would choose not to.

1. It is not safe to change lanes. (That one should be pretty obvious)
2. I'm exiting in less than one mile (people aren't nice enough to return the favor and let you back over anymore)
3. You're already well ahead of me on the ramp and will be out of the way before I get there.
4. You're behind me on the ramp and I'll be well out of your way before you get to the end of it.

Those about sum it up.