Traffic Signs & Signals — California
California DMV practice test: 617 free practice questions (38 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Traffic Signs & Signals: 154 questions.
Regulatory, warning and guide signs, plus traffic light and pavement marking questions.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Traffic Signs & Signals |
| License test | California Car learner's permit test (Class C) |
| Topic questions | 154 (25% of 617 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
Not yet verified
Advertisement
Questions (154)
1. What does a flashing yellow traffic signal light direct a driver to do?
- Stop and proceed when the traffic allows you to proceed safely.
- Slow down and proceed with caution. ✓
- Stop and wait for a flashing green signal.
Answer: B. Slow down and proceed with caution.
Slow down and proceed with caution when a traffic signal light is flashing yellow. The handbook says a flashing yellow light is a warning to proceed carefully, slow down, and stay alert. It also says plainly that you do not need to stop. That matches the choice to slow down and continue cautiously. The flashing yellow signal is not telling you to come to a full stop first, so treating it like a stop signal would be wrong.
2. If a traffic signal is green, but traffic is blocking the intersection, what should you do?
- Partially enter the intersection, as allowed by traffic.
- Wait and do not enter the intersection until your vehicle can get completely across. ✓
- Drive around the traffic on the shoulder to help ease the congestion.
Answer: B. Wait and do not enter the intersection until your vehicle can get completely across.
Wait and do not enter the intersection until your vehicle can get completely across. The handbook says even with a green light you should not start across the intersection if vehicles are blocking your pathway. It also says a solid green means go only if you have enough space, and that you should not enter if you cannot get completely across before the light turns red. Another section says it is against the law to stop or block an intersection when there is not enough room to cross completely. Waiting keeps you from being stuck in the intersection.
3. What is indicated by two sets of double yellow lines spaced 2 feet or more apart?
- Lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
- Barrier. ✓
- Carpool/High-Occupancy (HOV) lane.
Answer: B. Barrier.
Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart are considered a barrier. The handbook describes this exact marking: when two sets of solid double yellow lines sit at least two feet apart, they form a barrier. You are not supposed to drive on or over it, make a left turn across it, or make a U-turn across it, except where there are designated openings. A second passage reinforces this by listing crossing two sets of double yellow lines as something never to do when making a U-turn on a divided highway.
4. This sign means:
- Trucks under 18,000 pounds are allowed.
- Hill ahead. ✓
- Truck stop ahead.
Answer: B. Hill ahead.
5. If you approach a flashing red traffic light, you:
- Are traveling in the wrong direction.
- Must treat the intersection as if it is controlled by a stop sign. ✓
- May not proceed until it changes to green.
Answer: B. Must treat the intersection as if it is controlled by a stop sign.
6. You are required to stop your vehicle:
- At any intersection where a police officer orders you to stop.
- Where there is a red traffic light.
- Both of the above. ✓
Answer: C. Both of the above.
You must stop in both situations: when a police officer orders you to stop at an intersection and when you face a red traffic light. Both situations require you to stop. The handbook says a solid red traffic signal means stop. It also says you must obey any direction, order, or signal from a law enforcement officer, and follow those orders even when they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws. So a police officer directing you to stop at an intersection is a stop requirement, and a red light is a stop requirement too. Choosing only one of these leaves out the other.
7. If a traffic signal light is green and a police officer signals for you to stop, you should:
- Obey the officer. ✓
- Obey the traffic signal.
- Do what the vehicle in front of you does.
Answer: A. Obey the officer.
You should obey the officer and stop, even though the light is green. The handbook says to obey any direction, order, or signal a law enforcement officer gives you, and to follow those orders even when they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws. That covers this exact situation: a green light tells you to go, but the officer's signal overrides it. So when the two disagree, the officer's hand signal controls and you stop as directed. The green signal rules in the handbook describe what the light means, but they do not cancel an officer's direction.
8. This road sign means:
- No right turn.
- Drive only in the direction of the arrow. ✓
- Curve ahead.
Answer: B. Drive only in the direction of the arrow.
9. This road sign means:
- All traffic must turn right.
- All traffic must go straight.
- A side road intersects ahead. ✓
Answer: C. A side road intersects ahead.
10. If a traffic signal light is not working, you must:
- Stop, then proceed when safe. ✓
- Stop before entering the intersection and let all other traffic go first.
- Slow down or stop, only if necessary.
Answer: A. Stop, then proceed when safe.
You must stop, then proceed when it is safe. The California handbook says that when a traffic light is not working, you should treat the intersection as if stop signs control every direction. That means you first come to a stop, then move ahead only after checking that it is safe. You are not required to wait for every other vehicle to clear before you move; you proceed cautiously using the all-way stop idea. This supports stopping and then proceeding when safe.
Advertisement
Source
Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · 38 official sample questions · Official driver handbook