Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Traffic Lights

What does a steady yellow arrow tell you about the turn you were making?

  1. A.
    Turns in that direction are prohibited at this intersection
  2. B.
    The movement permitted by the green or flashing yellow arrow is about to end Correct
  3. C.
    You may turn only after yielding to oncoming traffic
  4. D.
    You have a protected turn until the light turns red
The Why

The answer is "The movement permitted by the green or flashing yellow arrow is about to end"

The steady yellow arrow warns that the movement permitted by the green arrow or the flashing yellow arrow is about to end and a red signal is coming. Choice D tempts drivers who stretch the green arrow's protected phase and assume that protection carries through the yellow until the light turns red; the yellow arrow is the warning that the protected phase is ending, not continuing.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Turns in that direction are prohibited at this intersection

The signal only warns of an imminent red, not a permanent prohibition. This answer reads the yellow arrow as a standing no-turn condition, the way the red X over a lane means the lane itself is closed to drivers.

C. You may turn only after yielding to oncoming traffic

Yield-then-turn is the flashing yellow arrow's rule, not the steady yellow's. This answer pulls in the flashing yellow arrow rule because both signals are yellow, missing that the manual treats steady and flashing as distinct phases.

D. You have a protected turn until the light turns red

Protection ended with the green arrow; the yellow arrow is a warning. This answer carries the green arrow's protected phase through the yellow, treating the yellow like a countdown timer that still holds oncoming traffic back.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "RED, YELLOW AND GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND ARROWS," p.7..

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