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Even those of us who've had our driver's licenses for decades can get thrown off by some road signs out there. Sure, we all know (or at least, should know) what a stop sign is, or that green means go. Then there's the diagonal black-and-yellow-striped road sign, as well as our personal favorite, the advisory speed limit, which is often interpreted among sports car owners as, "See if you can double this." Even cars can now recognize road signs.
However, some road signs you don't see as often, like the yellow sign with two arrows pointing down. This rare sign actually indicates that you can drive on either side of it, usually due to an island, drainage ditch, or other obstruction that separates two lanes. Let's discuss exactly how it's used, and why it won't put you at odds with oncoming traffic. There's another sign for the latter that's worth highlighting, too.
This road sign can also come in orange, but it always means watch out
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The yellow sign with two black arrows pointing down at a 45-degree angle indicates that there is an obstruction you can pass on either side. There may be a tree, barrier, landscaping, drainage ditch, toll booth, or a curb between two lanes. So, don't turn the wheel too late or you could end up with wheel damage, a pinched tire, or worse. It may seem like this sign is pointing out the obvious, but this author's seen it on particularly dark stretches of road before. Plus, the presence of fog could cut down on seeing what's in the way and where the lanes go.
The sign with two arrows pointing down could also mean that the lanes temporarily split away from each other but follow the same direction of traffic. This road sign may also come in orange, which indicates there's road construction present, splitting the lanes, and it's a temporary "hey, watch out" kind of deal. So keep your eyes peeled, and eventually the lanes will rejoin once you've passed the obstruction. On the other hand, if the arrows on the sign are parallel and point in different directions up and down, it means the one-way road is ending, so keep to the right because the traffic in each lane will be coming from the opposite direction.