Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Traffic Lights

After coming to a complete stop at a red light in Oregon, in which of these situations is a turn against the red light NOT allowed?

  1. A.
    Turning right onto a two-way road.
  2. B.
    Turning right onto a one-way road running in your direction of travel.
  3. C.
    Turning left from a one-way road onto a two-way road. Correct
  4. D.
    Turning left from a one-way road onto another one-way road in the direction of traffic.
The Why

The answer is "Turning left from a one-way road onto a two-way road."

Oregon lets you make several turns against a red light after a complete stop, unless a sign forbids it: a right turn on red, a left turn from a one-way road onto another one-way road, and a left or right turn from a two-way road onto a one-way road. The one combination among these choices that Oregon does not allow on red is a left turn from a one-way road onto a two-way road. The manual states it directly: "It is illegal to execute a left turn onto a two-way road against a red light." For that turn you must wait for green. Test-takers who miss this usually pick D, recalling that lefts from a one-way road are fine on red and dropping the requirement that the road you enter also be one-way.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Turning right onto a two-way road.

That is the standard right-on-red, allowed in Oregon after a full stop unless a sign forbids it. This answer treats Oregon as a blanket 'no turn on red' state and forgets the standard right-on-red allowance.

B. Turning right onto a one-way road running in your direction of travel.

Oregon permits a right turn onto a one-way road moving in your direction after stopping, unless a sign forbids it. This answer assumes right-on-red applies only when entering a two-way road, not a one-way road.

D. Turning left from a one-way road onto another one-way road in the direction of traffic.

The manual says you may make this one-way-to-one-way left turn against a red light after stopping and yielding to traffic and pedestrians. This answer reads the rule as a blanket 'no left turns on red,' the safe default drivers fall back on when they cannot recall the one-way-to-one-way exception.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Turns," p.39..

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.