Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Construction Signs

An automated flagger device shows a flashing yellow light with its stop arm up. You should:

  1. A.
    Proceed through the work zone Correct
  2. B.
    Come to a full stop
  3. C.
    Yield to oncoming traffic before moving
  4. D.
    Treat it as a flashing red signal
The Why

The answer is "Proceed through the work zone"

Automated flagger devices have red and yellow lights and a stop arm. When the yellow light is flashing and the arm is up, that is the device's proceed signal, the equivalent of a flagger waving you through. Drivers who half-remember that a flashing red at a standard traffic light means stop-then-proceed pick D, assuming any flashing light paired with a stop arm follows that rule; on an automated flagger, only the red light on with the arm down means stop.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Come to a full stop

The manual reserves stopping for when the red light is on and the arm is down. This answer confuses the device's stop position (red light, arm down) with its proceed position (yellow flashing, arm up). Reads the term 'stop arm' as an instruction on its own, defaulting to a stop whenever the device is visible instead of reading arm position and light color together.

C. Yield to oncoming traffic before moving

The device controls one direction of travel; oncoming traffic is held by its own signal. This answer treats the automated flagger like a yield sign rather than a device that directs one lane at a time. Applies the standard-intersection flashing-yellow habit of proceed-with-caution-and-yield instead of reading the arm-and-light pair as the proceed signal for your direction of travel, while still staying alert in the work zone.

D. Treat it as a flashing red signal

Flashing red is treated like a stop sign; the signal here is yellow and the arm is up. This answer substitutes the flashing red signal rule for the automated flagger's distinct yellow proceed signal. Extends the standard intersection flashing-red rule of stop-then-go to any flashing bulb paired with a stop arm, ignoring that yellow-plus-arm-up is the go position.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Construction Signs in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Work Zones," p.59..

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