What does a flashing yellow light indicate at an intersection?

What does a flashing yellow light indicate at an intersection?

• A. Proceed with caution, yielding to pedestrians and vehicles in the intersection.
• B. Stop completely before entering the intersection.
• C. Accelerate to clear the intersection quickly.
• D. Ignore the signal if the intersection looks clear.

Answer: (A)

A flashing yellow light tells you to proceed with caution. Slow down, watch for pedestrians and other vehicles, and be prepared to yield to anyone already in the intersection or about to enter it. You don’t stop just because it’s flashing; stop only if necessary to avoid a conflict or if traffic already in the intersection requires you to. The idea is to be extra alert and to proceed only when it’s safe. Stopping completely before entering wouldn’t be required here, since the signal isn’t a red or solid stop sign. Accelerating to “beat” the intersection is unsafe and not how you respond to a caution signal. Ignoring the signal because it looks clear is also wrong—you must treat a flashing yellow as a cue to proceed carefully.

A flashing yellow light tells you to proceed with caution. Slow down, watch for pedestrians and other vehicles, and be prepared to yield to anyone already in the intersection or about to enter it. You don’t stop just because it’s flashing; stop only if necessary to avoid a conflict or if traffic already in the intersection requires you to. The idea is to be extra alert and to proceed only when it’s safe.

Stopping completely before entering wouldn’t be required here, since the signal isn’t a red or solid stop sign. Accelerating to “beat” the intersection is unsafe and not how you respond to a caution signal. Ignoring the signal because it looks clear is also wrong—you must treat a flashing yellow as a cue to proceed carefully.