A steady yellow traffic signal means that a ____ light will soon appear.
- Flashing yellow
- Steady green
- Steady red ✓
- Flashing red
Answer: C. Steady red
A steady yellow light warns that a steady red light will soon appear, so you should stop if you can do so safely.
Why this is the answer
The handbook describes the yellow light as a warning that the signal is changing to red. It tells you to stop if you can safely do so, and it warns that being in the intersection when the light turns red is extremely dangerous. So the yellow is a heads-up that the steady red is coming, and your job is to decide whether you can stop safely before it does.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Flashing yellow — A flashing yellow is not a signal change warning at an intersection; the handbook ties flashing yellow to slowing down near an activated pedestrian beacon.
- B. Steady green — Green comes before yellow in the cycle, and the yellow is the warning that the light is changing to red, not back to green.
- D. Flashing red — A flashing red is a separate signal that calls for a stop and then proceeding with caution, not the next phase after a steady yellow.
Remember it
Yellow is the heads-up: it tells you red is next, so ask yourself "can I stop safely?" before you reach the line.