Flashing yellow and flashing red lights

Explanation

Flashing yellow light (no arrow): slow down and use caution through the intersection. Cross-street traffic must yield to you, but still watch for vehicles or pedestrians trying to cross. If you are turning left, yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Rectangular rapid flashing beacon: another kind of yellow flashing light, used at crosswalks. It flashes only when a pedestrian activates it — so if it is flashing, expect someone crossing.

Flashing red light: the same as a stop sign. Stop completely, then proceed with caution.

• If cross traffic does not have to stop, go only when the intersection is clear and you won’t interfere with cross traffic.
• If all traffic must stop, yield to any vehicle already in the intersection and any vehicle that stopped before you. If you arrive at the same time as another driver, the vehicle on the left yields.

Example

Late at night, the signals at a crossing are flashing red in all four directions. You and a car to your right stop at the same moment. You are the vehicle on the left, so you let that car go first.

Common mistake

Treating a flashing red light like a flashing yellow and rolling through. Flashing red always means a complete stop first.

What the manual says

A yellow flashing light displayed without an arrow at an intersection means that you should slow down and use caution when traveling through an intersection. If turning left, you must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. All traffic on the cross street is required to yield the right of way to you.

A red flashing light at an intersection is equivalent to a stop sign and means that you must come to a complete stop before proceeding with caution to enter the intersection.

If you arrive at the same time as another driver, the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way.