yellow trap

noun

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.

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Meanings

nounyellow trap (plural yellow traps)

plural yellow traps

  1. transportation engineeringA 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.
Cite this entry
APA

yellow trap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yellow%20trap

MLA

“yellow trap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yellow%20trap. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yellow trap,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yellow%20trap.

Source: yellow trap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.