Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

A lane is marked with a white arrow that has one head pointing straight ahead and another pointing left. What does this permit a driver in that lane to do?

White arrow on dark pavement with one shaft pointing straight up and another branching off to the left, both with arrowheads.
  1. A.
    Go straight through the intersection or turn left. Correct
  2. B.
    Turn left only; through traffic must use another lane.
  3. C.
    Turn left or right at the driver's choice.
  4. D.
    Continue straight only; the left arrow warns of oncoming turners.
The Why

The answer is "Go straight through the intersection or turn left."

A combination arrow with a straight head and a left head marks an optional-movement lane, so a driver in it may continue straight through the intersection or turn left. The trap is the choice that reads the marking as a left-turn-only lane, reached by treating any left-pointing arrow as a mandatory turn and skipping past the straight head sharing the same marking.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Turn left only; through traffic must use another lane.

The straight head of the arrow means this lane also serves through traffic, not left-turners alone. This answer reads any left-pointing head as a mandatory left-turn arrow and skips past the straight head painted with it.

C. Turn left or right at the driver's choice.

The second head of this marking points straight ahead, not right, so a right turn is not a movement the arrow permits. This answer reads a two-headed lane arrow as a general 'pick a turn' marker without checking which two directions its heads actually point.

D. Continue straight only; the left arrow warns of oncoming turners.

The left head is one of the movements this lane permits, not a warning about other traffic. This answer carries over the reflex that arrows painted on the pavement warn drivers, rather than assigning the lane its permitted movements.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Markings on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.24 (Straight-or-Left Combination Arrow)..

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