Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Traffic Lights

You approach an intersection with a flashing red light facing your direction. According to the Texas manual, what does the signal require?

  1. A.
    Treat it as a yield and stop only if cross traffic is present.
  2. B.
    Wait at the light until it changes to steady green before crossing.
  3. C.
    Slow down and pass through the intersection with caution.
  4. D.
    Come to a complete stop, then proceed when you can do so safely. Correct
The Why

The answer is "Come to a complete stop, then proceed when you can do so safely."

A flashing red is treated as a stop sign: complete stop, then proceed when clear. Option C is the trap for drivers who blur flashing red with flashing yellow, which is the signal that means slow-and-proceed.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Treat it as a yield and stop only if cross traffic is present.

The manual requires a stop regardless of whether cross traffic is present. This answer reads flashing red as a discretionary yield, borrowing from the yield-sign rule the manual keeps separate.

B. Wait at the light until it changes to steady green before crossing.

A flashing red does not require waiting for a green; after a complete stop, you may proceed when it is safe. This answer treats the flashing red as a broken steady red that will eventually cycle to green, when the flashing pattern is the manual's cue to work the signal as a stop sign.

C. Slow down and pass through the intersection with caution.

Skips the complete stop the manual makes non-negotiable at flashing red. This answer blurs the two flashing signals into one rule, when slow-and-proceed belongs to flashing yellow.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Chapter 5, Traffic Signals: A Flashing Red Light," p.25..

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