yellow trap

English

Noun

yellow trap (plural yellow traps)

1. (transportation engineering) A condition in which a traffic signal or signals display a yellow light facing traffic in one direction and a green light facing traffic in the opposite direction at the same intersection. This is considered a poor design because it may give drivers facing the yellow light the false belief that it is safe to turn in front of opposing traffic that has the green light.

References

• “Frequently Asked Questions”, in Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices‎^[1], U.S. Federal Highway Administration, 2009, published 2018