Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Traffic Lights

You have a steady green circular signal in Oregon and you intend to turn left. Who must you yield to?

  1. A.
    Only oncoming traffic.
  2. B.
    Only pedestrians.
  3. C.
    Pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Correct
  4. D.
    No one: the green light gives you the right of way.
The Why

The answer is "Pedestrians and oncoming traffic."

A green circular permits all movements unless a sign prohibits them, but it does not grant priority. On a left turn you must yield to both pedestrians in the crosswalk you are turning into and to oncoming traffic that holds the same green. Choice D is the trap for drivers who half-remember green as blanket right of way, blurring the green ball (permission subject to yielding) with the green arrow, which the manual says actually grants the right of way.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Only oncoming traffic.

You must also yield to pedestrians legally crossing the road you are turning into. Treats the left turn as a driver-vs-driver problem and forgets the pedestrian in the far crosswalk that the manual names in the same sentence.

B. Only pedestrians.

You must also yield to oncoming through-traffic that holds the same green. Assumes the green ball has already settled vehicle-vs-vehicle priority so only the pedestrian half of the yield rule remains, missing that oncoming drivers hold the same green and have no duty to stop.

D. No one: the green light gives you the right of way.

A green circular permits the movement but does not relieve you of yielding to pedestrians and oncoming traffic on a left turn. Confuses a green circular, which permits movement subject to yielding, with the green arrow the manual says actually grants right of way.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Traffic Signals," p.16..

More from this topic

Related Oregon questions

More than a book

You just took one Oregon question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Oregon book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free Oregon study plan

A short run of study emails for the Oregon DMV test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.