You come to an intersection that is blocked by other traffic. You should:
- Go slowly until the traffic ahead moves.
- Get as close as possible to the car in front of you.
- Stay out of the intersection until you can pass through. ✓
- Sound your horn to make the cars move up.
Answer: C. Stay out of the intersection until you can pass through.
Stay out of the intersection until you can pass through.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's rule for a green light is to go only when the intersection is clear, and it says to move forward only when the road is clear. If traffic ahead is backed up, the space you would drive into is not clear, so you wait behind the stop line or crosswalk instead of pulling in. The handbook also warns that it is extremely dangerous to be sitting in an intersection when the light changes, which is exactly the spot you put yourself in if you enter and then stall there.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Go slowly until the traffic ahead moves. — Creeping in slowly still puts your vehicle inside the intersection, and the handbook says to go only when the intersection is clear, not to inch forward and hope a gap opens.
- B. Get as close as possible to the car in front of you. — Closing up tight behind the car ahead leaves you stranded in the intersection with no room to clear it, which the handbook warns against.
- D. Sound your horn to make the cars move up. — The handbook gives no instruction to honk in this situation; the fix is to wait for clear space, since honking does not empty the blocked intersection.
Remember it
Treat the intersection like a doorway: don't step into it unless there is room on the other side for you to stand.