You're at an Oregon intersection in the left-turn lane when your signal shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does this signal allow?
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A.
Make the left turn only after stopping and waiting for a green arrow.
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B.
Make the left turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Correct
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C.
Proceed straight through the intersection.
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D.
Stop and remain stopped until the signal changes.
The answer is "Make the left turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians."
A flashing yellow arrow means you may make the indicated movement (typically a left turn), but you must first yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to oncoming traffic, which has a steady green at the same time. Treat it as an unprotected left turn: legal to make, but only when there is a safe gap.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Make the left turn only after stopping and waiting for a green arrow.
The flashing yellow arrow already permits the turn; you don't need to wait for a green arrow. Misreading: Treats a flashing yellow arrow as a red arrow that requires waiting for a protected (green-arrow) phase before turning.
C. Proceed straight through the intersection.
The arrow indicates the protected movement (the left turn). A flashing yellow arrow doesn't authorize a straight movement. Misreading: Ignores that the signal authorizes only the movement indicated by the arrow, not a straight-through movement.
D. Stop and remain stopped until the signal changes.
That describes a steady red arrow. A flashing yellow arrow is permissive, not prohibitive. Misreading: Confuses the flashing yellow arrow's permissive rule with the steady red arrow's stop-and-remain-stopped rule.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Signals in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Traffic Signals," p.16..
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