What does a steady red traffic light mean for a driver approaching an intersection?
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A.
Proceed if no cross traffic is visible.
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B.
Yield to any pedestrians, then proceed.
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C.
Slow down and continue with caution.
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D.
Come to a complete stop before the intersection. Correct
The answer is "Come to a complete stop before the intersection."
The manual is explicit that a red light means STOP and requires a complete stop before the driver reaches the intersection. This is one of the most fundamental rules in the traffic-signals section. After stopping, the driver remains stopped until the light turns green. Nevada allows two turns on red, each only after a complete stop and yielding: a right turn on red where signs do not prohibit it, and a left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street with traffic moving to the left.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Proceed if no cross traffic is visible.
A steady red requires a complete stop; after stopping, only certain turns on red may follow (a right turn where signs do not prohibit it, or a left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street with traffic moving to the left), never straight-through movement. This answer borrows the four-way-stop rule of thumb, where a stopped driver may go on once the intersection is clear.
B. Yield to any pedestrians, then proceed.
A steady red is not a yield sign; the manual requires a complete stop first, after which only a permitted turn on red may follow (a right on red where signs allow, or a one-way-to-one-way left on red), yielding to pedestrians and other traffic. This answer half-remembers the right-on-red exception as a general 'yield to pedestrians and go' rule that applies at any red light.
C. Slow down and continue with caution.
A steady red requires a complete stop before the intersection, not a slowdown; proceeding with caution is what a flashing yellow allows, not a steady red. This answer springs from the habit of coasting through late-yellow phases, misapplied here to a light that has already cycled all the way to red.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Nevada. Source: Nevada Driver Manual, "Signals," p.30..
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