Virginia driving lesson · Signals, Signs & Pavement Markings
Red Lights, Red Arrows & Turns on Red
A 3-minute lesson from the Virginia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Signals, signs and pavement markings keep traffic flowing in an orderly way, and they apply to drivers, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, moped riders and pedestrians alike. Red always means stop, but Virginia lets you turn on some reds after a full stop, and forbids it on others.
Know the rule
Obey all signs and signals unless a police officer directs you otherwise; always follow the officer's direction.
At a red light, stop completely at the stop line. If there is no stop line, stop before entering the intersection or before reaching the crosswalk. Stay stopped while the light is red unless turns are allowed.
You may turn left on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after a complete stop and yielding, and not where 'No Turn on Red' is posted or a left red arrow shows.
Red arrow: stop if you intend to go in the arrow's direction, and don't go that way while it's lit. Virginia prohibits turns at red arrows unless a sign reads 'Right on Red Arrow After Stop' or 'Left on Red Arrow After Stop.'
Flashing red arrow: stop completely, yield to vehicles from the other direction and pedestrians in the intersection, then go in the arrow's direction when clear.
You're on a one-way street at a red light and want to turn left onto another one-way street. Stop fully, yield to pedestrians and traffic, check for motorcycles and bikes, then turn, unless a 'No Turn on Red' sign or a left red arrow is showing.
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 with no stop line and no crosswalk, where must you stop?
At least 50 feet before the intersection
Before entering the intersection
At least 15 feet before the intersection
Wherever you can see cross traffic
Answer: Before entering the intersection
At a red light, stop at the stop line, or if there is none, before entering the intersection or reaching the crosswalk.