If a flagger is directing traffic in a construction zone, you must:
- Follow the directions given by the flagger. ✓
- Copy what surrounding traffic is doing, despite the flagger's instructions.
- Assume the flagger is not supposed to be directing traffic.
- Follow the laws that would be in place if the area was not under construction.
Answer: A. Follow the directions given by the flagger.
You must follow the directions given by the flagger.
Why this is the answer
The handbook describes flaggers as people who work in construction and maintenance zones to stop, slow, or guide traffic safely through the area. It also tells drivers to use caution when directed by a flagger and says failing to do so is illegal and dangerous to workers. That means the flagger's direction controls how you move through the work zone, rather than ordinary traffic flow or the usual rules alone.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Copy what surrounding traffic is doing, despite the flagger's instructions. — Copying nearby traffic is wrong because the flagger is the person assigned to stop, slow, or guide traffic through the work zone, so other drivers' choices do not replace that direction.
- C. Assume the flagger is not supposed to be directing traffic. — Treating the flagger as unauthorized is wrong because the handbook describes flaggers as people who work in construction and maintenance zones to direct traffic safely.
- D. Follow the laws that would be in place if the area was not under construction. — Following only the rules that would apply without construction ignores the temporary traffic control devices and flagger directions used to move road users safely through the work site.
Remember it
In a work zone, watch the person with the flag or sign: their direction is the direction to take.