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Rules of the Road
...section deals with the variety of roadway signs that we see everyday that help us to navigate the roadways.
Traffic Lights
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The colors of controlled traffic lights are red, yellow or green [21450 V.C.]. Most common are the solid circular or square traffic signals with red on top, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom. Other types of signals are the flashing type and ones with arrows. The types of traffic lights are broken down by color as follows:
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RED: A solid red light means ‘STOP’ at the marked limit line. If you encounter no clearly marked limit line, stop before the crosswalk or intersection [21453 V.C.]. You are to wait until the light turns green and it is safe to go before you proceed through the intersection. You may make a right hand turn at a red light as long as you come to a complete stop, determine that it is safe to turn and there is no sign prohibiting the move. You may NOT make a turn if there is a sign that reads ‘NO TURN ON RED’ [21457 V.C.].
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RED ARROW: A red arrow means ‘STOP’ at the marked limit line. If you encounter no clearly marked limit line, stop before the crosswalk or intersection [21453 V.C.]. You must wait until the light turns green to go. You may NOT make a right hand turn against a red arrow. A flashing red light also means ‘STOP’. After coming to a complete stop, you may proceed with caution according to right-of-way laws [21453 V.C.].
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YELLOW: A solid yellow signal means ‘CAUTION’. It is an indicator that the light is about to turn red. If you can stop your vehicle before entering the intersection you should do so. If you cannot stop your vehicle you should proceed with caution as you know that vehicles are about to start moving through the intersection. A flashing yellow light lets you know that you should be extra careful. The flashing yellow may serve to call your attention to a change in the roadway that could be potentially dangerous. Whenever you see a flashing yellow light on the road, you should slow down and proceed with caution [21457.V.C.].
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YELLOW ARROW: A yellow arrow means that the time you have been allotted to proceed and turn your vehicle is diminishing. A yellow arrow may be followed by a red or green light or arrow [21452 V.C.].
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GREEN: Green means ‘GO’. You may proceed through the intersection after you verify that it is clear of pedestrians and other vehicles and it is safe to go. If you are turning left you should advance only when there is enough space to proceed without interfering with oncoming traffic or pedestrians crossing the road. If you are turning right, you should wait for pedestrians or bicycles to cross the intersection before proceeding. If you cannot get your entire vehicle completely through the intersection then you should not proceed. If you block the intersection it is called ‘gridlock’ and it is illegal; you may be cited [21451 V.C.].
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GREEN ARROW: A green arrow means you may drive your vehicle in the direction of the arrow. If you are turning right you must first yield to pedestrians or bicycles before you enter the roadway. If you are turning left, a green arrow means you are ‘protected’ and you may proceed; you should be cautious of vehicles or pedestrians that may not yield to you. By law, you are required to follow all the traffic light rules as described above [21451 V.C.].
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