A 3-minute lesson from the Illinois course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Traffic lights can be steady, flashing or arrows, and each means something different. Know the two legal turns on red, and what to do when the lights are dark.
Know the rule
You must obey traffic signals and pavement markings unless a police or traffic control officer directs otherwise. Never leave the roadway to avoid a traffic signal.
When traffic signals aren't working, treat the intersection as an all-way stop: come to a complete stop (unless law enforcement directs otherwise), then look and yield before entering.
On a steady red you may turn right unless a sign prohibits it. You may also turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street with traffic moving left. Either way, stop completely and yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians first.
A flashing red light is used where a stop sign alone is hard to see or needs emphasis. It's also used at railroad crossings to warn of approaching trains.
Steady red arrow exceptions: you may turn right on a red arrow, or turn left on a red arrow from a one-way street onto a one-way street moving left. Stop completely and yield first.
You reach an intersection where every signal is dark after a storm. Treat it as an all-way stop: stop completely, look, and yield before entering, unless an officer directs you.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
At a red light, when may you turn right?
After a complete stop, unless a sign prohibits it
Never; right turns on red are always illegal in Illinois
Only if a green arrow is present
Anytime, without stopping
Answer: After a complete stop, unless a sign prohibits it
A right turn on red is allowed after a full stop, unless posted otherwise.
If the signals at an intersection are out entirely, drivers on the busier road may continue through without stopping.
True
False
Answer: False
False. When traffic control signals are not working, you must treat the intersection as an all-way stop and come to a complete stop, unless directed otherwise by law enforcement.
