A traffic light is dark and not operating, and no officer is directing traffic. How must you treat the intersection?
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A.
Yield to traffic on the larger road, then proceed.
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B.
Continue through if no cross traffic is visible.
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C.
Reverse and use a different route.
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D.
Treat the intersection as an all-way stop. Correct
The answer is "Treat the intersection as an all-way stop."
When a traffic light is dark and no officer is directing traffic, Illinois treats the intersection as an all-way stop: come to a complete stop and yield the right of way before entering. Drivers who pick B mistake a fully unlit light for a flashing yellow, where entering with caution is allowed instead of coming to a complete stop.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Yield to traffic on the larger road, then proceed.
Road size doesn't control at a dark traffic light. Illinois requires every driver to stop and yield before entering, unless law enforcement directs otherwise. This answer assumes a dark traffic light leaves the larger road with default priority, when Illinois assigns an all-way stop instead.
B. Continue through if no cross traffic is visible.
Rolling through a dark light is what the all-way-stop rule blocks, even on an empty crossing. This answer applies the flashing-yellow rule for entering with caution to a traffic light that's fully unlit, which the manual handles as an all-way stop.
C. Reverse and use a different route.
The manual sets a stop-and-proceed rule at a dark traffic light; rerouting isn't required. This answer treats a dark light like a closed intersection, the reflex used for a flooded lane or a downed tree.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Chapter 10: Traffic Signals and Pavement Markings," p.77..
Related Illinois questions
- At a steady red light with no marked stop line and no crosswalk, where must you stop? →
- What does a steady yellow traffic light mean? →
- A flashing yellow light at an intersection tells you to do what? →
- You approach a steady red light and plan to turn right. What is required? →
- In which situation does Illinois allow a left turn on a steady red light? →
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