A Virginia driver wants to turn right at a steady circular red light. No sign prohibits the turn, and no officer is directing traffic. What must the driver do before turning?
Correct answer: Stop completely, then yield and turn only when the way is clear
A right turn on a circular red signal is permitted under these stated conditions only after a full stop and with the required yielding. Permission to turn does not give the turning driver priority.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-835, paragraphs 1 and 3. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver faces a steady right-pointing red arrow in Virginia. There is no traffic-control device permitting a turn on red and no officer directing traffic. What should the driver do?
Correct answer: Remain stopped until a signal permits the movement
A steady red arrow requires the driver to remain stopped unless an applicable traffic-control device expressly permits the turn. An ordinary circular-red permission does not by itself authorize a red-arrow turn.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-835, paragraph 2. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A traffic-control device expressly permits a right turn on a steady red arrow after stopping. The driver has stopped, but a pedestrian is lawfully crossing the adjacent crosswalk. What comes next?
Correct answer: Yield to the pedestrian and other traffic before cautiously turning
The express permitting-device exception does not remove the duty to yield. The red-arrow rule and its exception must be read together with the protection for pedestrians and other intersection traffic.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-835, paragraphs 2 and 3. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver on a one-way street wants to turn left onto another one-way street at a steady circular red light. No device prohibits the turn and no officer is directing traffic. Which approach is permitted by Virginia's stated rule?
Correct answer: Stop fully, yield, and cautiously turn when clear
Virginia's circular-red left-turn exception applies from a one-way highway onto another one-way highway. A full stop and yielding are still required, and a prohibiting device would change the answer.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-836, paragraphs 1 and 3. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver is on a two-way street facing a steady circular red light and wants to turn left onto a one-way street. No green arrow or officer's direction permits movement. Does the ordinary one-way-to-one-way left-turn exception authorize this turn?
Correct answer: No, because the driver is not starting from a one-way street
The exception requires both the road being left and the road being entered to be one-way. Starting on a two-way street does not meet that condition; the ordinary red-signal stop requirement remains.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-836, paragraph 1, read with 46.2-833(A). Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
At an ordinary road intersection, a driver faces a flashing circular red signal. There is no officer or other control changing the instruction. What is required?
Correct answer: Stop before entering and yield to traffic and pedestrians lawfully there
Flashing circular red calls for a stop before entering and yielding to road users lawfully within the intersection. It is not the caution-only instruction of a flashing amber signal. This question is not about a railroad crossing.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection A, flashing circular red. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A left-pointing red arrow is flashing at an intersection. After coming to a full stop, what may the driver do under the signal's instruction?
Correct answer: Cautiously turn left after yielding to traffic and pedestrians lawfully in the intersection
A flashing red arrow permits a cautious turn in its direction after stopping and yielding. It does not authorize every movement, and the stop does not confer right-of-way.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection A, flashing red arrow. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver has a flashing left-pointing amber arrow. An oncoming vehicle is lawfully entering the intersection and would conflict with the turn. What should the turning driver do?
Correct answer: Yield and make the turn only with reasonable care when clear
A flashing amber arrow allows movement in the arrow's direction with reasonable care, but requires yielding to traffic and pedestrians lawfully within the intersection. It is not a protected-turn guarantee.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection A, flashing amber arrow. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver's signal turns green while a pedestrian is still lawfully crossing within the intersection. What does the green signal permit?
Correct answer: Proceeding only while respecting the pedestrian's right-of-way
Green does not cancel the duty to yield to vehicles and pedestrians lawfully within the intersection. The driver must avoid moving into the pedestrian's path.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection A, green signal. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
A driver has already entered an intersection when the signal changes to steady amber. Which response follows Virginia's signal rule?
Correct answer: Continue safely until the intersection has been cleared
Traffic already within the intersection should continue until it has cleared. This does not authorize abrupt acceleration or disregard for other road users, and it is different from deciding whether to enter before the change.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection A, steady amber. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
All signal lights at a road intersection are dark because of a power failure. There are no portable stop signs and no authorized person directing traffic. How should drivers handle the intersection?
Correct answer: Treat all approaches as controlled by stop signs
When a failure prevents the lights from giving signals, the stated rule is to proceed as though every approach has a stop sign. Working flashing signals, portable signs and authorized traffic direction are separate cases.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection C, main rule and all listed exceptions. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
At an intersection with failed traffic lights, a uniformed police officer is directing vehicles. Should a driver replace those directions with the default all-way-stop outage routine?
Correct answer: No, follow the officer's traffic directions
The outage provision expressly excludes intersections where law-enforcement officers or other authorized persons direct traffic. Follow the actual authorized directions rather than substituting the default outage routine.
Source: Code of Virginia, §46.2-833, subsection C, authorized-person exception. Complete official section body and exceptions read September 13, 2026; current website display date September 12, 2026 is not an amendment date. Primary retained evidence: virginia-signal-primary-bodies-2026-09-13.md. This is signal-law practice, not road-sign recognition. ↗
