A 3-minute lesson from the Oregon course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Traffic signals control the right of way and keep traffic flowing smoothly. Each color and shape — circle, arrow, steady or flashing — has its own meaning. Knowing exactly what each allows is heavily tested.
Know the rule
If a signal is dark, such as during a power failure, stop as if there were stop signs in all directions. If a signal is out of order and flashes yellow or red, obey the flashing signal.
You're stopped at a red light on a one-way street, waiting to turn left onto another one-way street heading left. After a complete stop, and if no sign prohibits it, you may turn left on red after yielding to traffic and pedestrians.
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.
If a traffic signal is completely dark due to a power failure, you should:
Proceed with caution without stopping
Treat it as a yield sign
Wait for a police officer before moving
Treat it as an all-way stop
Answer: Treat it as an all-way stop
A dark signal is treated as a stop sign in all directions.
