You approach an intersection with a flashing yellow traffic light. What should you do?
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A.
Stop completely, then proceed when clear.
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B.
Come to a full stop and yield to all cross traffic.
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C.
Speed up to clear the intersection before it turns red.
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D.
Slow down and proceed with caution. Correct
The answer is "Slow down and proceed with caution."
A flashing yellow signal has the same meaning as a warning sign: slow down and proceed with caution. Drivers who default to stopping at any signal that isn't a solid green, reading caution as a synonym for stop, pick A.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop completely, then proceed when clear.
A flashing yellow is not a stop signal; that meaning belongs to the flashing red. This answer applies the flashing-red stop rule to a yellow flasher because both use pulsing lenses.
B. Come to a full stop and yield to all cross traffic.
The flashing yellow does not require a full stop or a cross-traffic yield. This answer confuses the flashing yellow with a flashing red or stop sign, both of which do require a full stop before entering the intersection.
C. Speed up to clear the intersection before it turns red.
Speeding through is unsafe and not what a flashing yellow tells drivers to do. This answer follows the beat-the-yellow habit from a solid yellow at a normal light.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Chapter 5: Signals and Signs, Flashing Signals," p.81..
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