California signal practice

You are waiting in a left-turn-only lane. A flashing yellow arrow points left. An oncoming vehicle is close enough that turning across its path would create an immediate hazard. What should you do?

• Turn now because a flashing yellow arrow gives you priority over oncoming traffic.: Incorrect. The flashing arrow is permissive and requires yielding; it does not confer priority.
• Wait until the oncoming conflict has cleared, then turn cautiously when safe. (correct): Correct. Yield to the conflicting oncoming vehicle, then make the indicated turn cautiously when safe.
• Remain stopped until a green arrow appears, because a flashing yellow arrow never permits a turn.: Incorrect. A flashing yellow arrow permits the indicated turn after yielding; a protected green arrow is not required.

A flashing yellow turn arrow permits a cautious turn after yielding to pedestrians and opposing traffic. It does not give the turning driver priority. The oncoming vehicle in this scenario is an actual conflict, so wait.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4A — §4A.04(01)(B)(2), printed p. 1039; left-turn yield to an opposing vehicle creating an immediate hazard

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4F — §4F.01(03)(G), printed p. 1102

You are in a marked left-turn-only lane at a signal. The left arrow is flashing yellow, while the circular signal for through traffic is red. Which movement is permitted by the flashing arrow?

• Turn left cautiously after yielding to pedestrians and conflicting traffic. (correct): Correct. The arrow permits the indicated left turn, subject to yielding and caution.
• Drive straight through because the circular signal applies to every lane on the approach.: Incorrect. The arrow does not authorize straight-through travel; the scenario assigns the circular red to through traffic.
• Turn left only after stopping completely, as if the flashing arrow were a stop sign.: Incorrect. The rule for a flashing yellow arrow does not require a stop first; it calls for cautious entry and yielding.

A flashing yellow arrow allows cautious entry only for the movement indicated by that arrow, unless another signal shown at the same time permits a different movement. Here the arrow indicates the left turn; it does not cancel the yield duty.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4A — §4A.04(01)(B)(2), printed p. 1039

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4F — §4F.01(03)(G), printed p. 1102

A left-turn signal changes from a flashing yellow arrow to a steady yellow arrow. What does the steady arrow tell you about the left-turn movement?

• The related green-arrow or flashing-arrow movement is being terminated; the prior movement rules continue while the steady yellow arrow is displayed. (correct): Correct. This is the steady yellow arrow’s transition meaning.
• The turn has become protected, so opposing traffic must stop.: Incorrect. A steady yellow arrow is not a green protected arrow.
• The signal now requires the same full stop as a steady red arrow.: Incorrect. A steady yellow arrow is not a red arrow and does not carry the red-arrow stop meaning.

A steady yellow arrow warns that the related green-arrow or flashing-arrow movement is being terminated. The rules for the movement being terminated continue during the steady yellow indication; the indication does not turn the movement into a protected green arrow or a red-arrow stop.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4A — §4A.03(01)(B)(2), printed p. 1038

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4F — §4F.01(03)(F)(2), printed pp. 1101–1102

At one point in the signal cycle, a left-turn lane receives a steady green arrow. Later, it receives a flashing yellow left arrow. Which statement correctly distinguishes the two indications?

• Both indications protect the turn from opposing traffic; the flashing only makes the arrow easier to notice.: Incorrect. The flashing yellow arrow is permissive, so the turn is not protected from opposing traffic.
• The green arrow is for a protected turn; the flashing yellow arrow permits a cautious turn after yielding to pedestrians and opposing traffic. (correct): Correct. Green arrow and flashing yellow arrow have different protection and yielding conditions.
• The green arrow is permissive, while the flashing yellow arrow requires a full stop before turning.: Incorrect. This reverses the distinction and adds an unsupported stop requirement to the flashing yellow arrow.

A steady green arrow permits the indicated movement in protected operation. A flashing yellow arrow permits a cautious turn only after yielding to pedestrians and opposing traffic. The two indications do not give the same protection.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4A — §4A.03(01)(A)(2), printed p. 1037; §4A.04(01)(B)(2), printed p. 1039

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4F — §4F.02(02)(A)–(C), §4F.02(04)–(05), printed p. 1103; §4F.01(03)(G)–(H), printed p. 1102

You are driving east on a road with several lanes. A steady green arrow points downward above the lane you are currently using; the overhead signals above the lanes beside you show different indications. What does the green arrow tell you about your lane?

• The lane beneath this arrow is open to vehicle travel eastbound. (correct): Correct. Read the indication for the lane it is over and for the direction you are facing.
• Every lane on the road is open eastbound.: Incorrect. Lane-use indications apply to the lane beneath the signal, not automatically to every lane.
• The arrow gives permission to turn left at the next intersection.: Incorrect. This is an overhead lane-use indication, not an intersection signal authorizing a turn.

A steady downward green arrow indicates that the lane directly beneath that signal is open for travel in the direction shown. It does not establish the status of neighboring lanes or act as an intersection turn arrow.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4T — §4T.02(1)(A), printed p. 1199; Figure 4T-1, printed p. 1202

On a freeway, a steady yellow X is displayed above your lane. In the lane-use signal sequence, what does this indication mean?

• The lane beneath the yellow X is about to close to traffic in your direction, and the indication is followed by a red X. (correct): Correct. Yellow X means the lane is about to close and precedes the red X.
• The lane is already closed in your direction, just as if a red X were showing.: Incorrect. The California MUTCD assigns the closed meaning to the steady red X; yellow X means about to close.
• The lane beneath the X is open, but only for vehicles turning left.: Incorrect. The left-turn lane indications are white arrows, not a yellow X.

The steady yellow X signals that the lane beneath it is about to close to traffic in the direction viewed and is followed by a steady red X. The question tests the displayed meaning; it does not specify a legal maneuver or a timing rule for changing lanes.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4T — §4T.02(1)(B), printed p. 1199

You approach an overhead steady red X above the lane you are in. You are looking at the signal from the direction in which you are traveling. What status does the red X assign to that lane for your direction?

• It is closed to vehicle traffic in the direction viewing the signal. (correct): Correct. Apply the red X to the lane beneath it and the direction from which you view it.
• It is open if no vehicle is currently using it.: Incorrect. An empty lane is still closed when a steady red X is displayed for your direction.
• It is reserved for left turns from either direction.: Incorrect. A white two-way left-turn arrow, not a red X, identifies a lane open for left turns from either direction.

A steady red X means the lane beneath it is closed to vehicle traffic in the direction from which the road user views the signal. Whether a lane is open from the other direction is not determined by this view alone.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4T — §4T.02(1)(C), printed p. 1199; Figure 4T-1, printed p. 1202

A steady white pair of left-turn arrows is displayed over a center lane on a two-way street. What use does this indication identify?

• Left turns from either direction may use the lane, but through travel may not. (correct): Correct. The two-way indication covers left turns from both directions and excludes through travel.
• Traffic may travel straight through the intersection from either direction.: Incorrect. This indication does not make the lane a through lane.
• Only drivers approaching from the direction you face may turn left there.: Incorrect. The two-way left-turn indication serves left-turning traffic from either direction.

The steady white two-way left-turn arrow identifies a lane open to left-turning traffic from either direction, not for through travel. The item asks only about the indication's meaning, not how to enter or wait in such a lane.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4T — §4T.02(1)(D), printed pp. 1199–1200; Figure 4T-1, printed p. 1202

From the direction you are traveling, a steady white one-way left-turn arrow points left above a lane. Which use does that signal identify?

• Left-turning traffic in the arrow's direction may use the lane; through travel is not allowed by this indication. (correct): Correct. Follow the arrow's direction, and do not treat this as a through-lane indication.
• Left turns from both directions may use the lane at the same time.: Incorrect. A one-way arrow is different from the two-way left-turn arrows.
• The lane is open for travel straight in the arrow's direction.: Incorrect. The arrow identifies a left-turn lane use, not straight-through travel.

The steady white one-way left-turn arrow identifies a lane open for left turns in the arrow's direction, without opposing turns in that same lane; it is not for through travel. The two-way left-turn indication is a different white symbol.

Source: CA-MUTCD-2026-4T — §4T.02(1)(E), printed pp. 1199–1200; Figure 4T-1, printed p. 1202