Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Traffic Lights

The signal ahead changes from green to steady yellow as you approach the intersection. According to the Texas manual, what does the yellow require?

  1. A.
    Speed up to clear the intersection before the light turns red.
  2. B.
    Stop before the nearest crosswalk if you can do so safely. Correct
  3. C.
    Slow down slightly and hold your speed until the red appears.
  4. D.
    Continue at your current speed since yellow is still a go signal.
The Why

The answer is "Stop before the nearest crosswalk if you can do so safely."

A steady yellow means stop before the nearest crosswalk if the stop can be made safely; only when a safe stop is impossible do you proceed cautiously through. Option A is the trap for drivers running on the 'beat the yellow' habit, which trades a legal stop for a red-light entry.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Speed up to clear the intersection before the light turns red.

Racing the light is not the manual's instruction; it tells you to stop when safe. Follows the 'beat the yellow' habit that swaps a legal stop for a red-light entry.

C. Slow down slightly and hold your speed until the red appears.

Only slowing misreads the yellow, which asks for a stop when one can be made safely. Treats steady yellow like flashing yellow, which the manual keeps as a separate signal.

D. Continue at your current speed since yellow is still a go signal.

The manual calls yellow a caution warning, not a go signal. Reads yellow as an extension of green, which the section explicitly rules out.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Traffic Lights in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Traffic Signals (Steady Yellow Light (Caution))," p.25..

More from this topic

Related Texas questions

More than a book

You just took one Texas question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Texas 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 Texas study plan

A short run of study emails for the Texas DPS 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.