A pedestrian is still in the crosswalk when the pedestrian signal begins flashing DON’T WALK. As a driver, you must:
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A.
Proceed immediately, since the flashing DON’T WALK cancels the pedestrian’s right of way.
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B.
Yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk. Correct
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C.
Proceed as soon as your own traffic light is green.
The answer is "Yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk."
The manual is explicit that drivers must yield to pedestrians even when the DON’T WALK light is flashing. That signal warns pedestrians on the curb not to start a new crossing; it does not authorize drivers to proceed while a pedestrian is still in the crosswalk. Choice A is picked by drivers who read the flashing raised hand as an instruction aimed at them, treating the moment it begins flashing as the cue that the crosser’s turn is over.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Proceed immediately, since the flashing DON’T WALK cancels the pedestrian’s right of way.
The flashing DON’T WALK warns pedestrians on the curb not to begin a new crossing; it does not lift a driver’s duty toward anyone already in the crosswalk. This answer reads the flashing raised hand as an order aimed at drivers, treating the instant it begins flashing as the moment the pedestrian’s right of way ends.
C. Proceed as soon as your own traffic light is green.
A driver’s green signal does not override a pedestrian already crossing; the vehicle green still requires you to yield to anyone in the crosswalk. This answer applies the everyday habit that a green light is a full go, forgetting that the manual’s Solid Green Light rule still requires yielding to any pedestrian already in the intersection.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Traffic Signals: Pedestrian Signals or Signs: Flashing DON’T WALK or Flashing Raised Hand," p.35..
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