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 after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Correct
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B.
Stop and remain stopped until the signal changes.
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C.
Make the left turn only after stopping and waiting for a green arrow.
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D.
Proceed straight through the intersection.
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) after first yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to oncoming traffic, which has a steady green at the same time. Drivers who half-remember every left-turn arrow as needing a full green before the turn is legal pick C, treating a flashing yellow like a mere warning that a green arrow will soon follow.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Stop and remain stopped until the signal changes.
That resembles the steady red arrow rule, which requires you to stop and remain stopped unless an allowed turn on red applies. A flashing yellow arrow is permissive, not prohibitive. This answer falls back on the cautious 'when in doubt, wait it out' habit driver-ed classes teach for any unfamiliar signal, since flashing yellow arrows appear on newer displays many drivers were never trained on.
C. 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. This answer assumes every left-turn arrow signal must reach solid green before the turn is legal, missing that the flashing yellow authorizes an unprotected turn.
D. Proceed straight through the intersection.
The arrow indicates the movement it applies to, the left turn. A flashing yellow arrow does not authorize a straight movement. This answer treats the flashing yellow arrow like a circular flashing yellow, which allows any direction after slowing, rather than only the arrow's direction.
This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Traffic Signals," p.16..
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