Flashing Yellow Arrow With Two Left-Turn Lanes
At 5:10 p.m. you approach a six-lane Arkansas intersection in the left-turn bay. Two left-turn lanes are marked with white left-turn arrows and the word ONLY. Your lane’s five-section signal shows a flashing yellow arrow; the through lanes show a circular green. Opposing traffic is heavy and moving at about 50 mph. You want to turn left onto a shopping-center access road. An SUV in the right left-turn lane is slightly ahead of you. The light has been flashing yellow for several seconds; you are stopped at the limit line with two cars behind.
1. What does the flashing yellow arrow require you to do, and how does it differ from a circular green or a protected green arrow?
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A flashing yellow arrow is a permitted left-turn signal. It means you may turn left only after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk; it does not give you a protected right-of-way. A circular green for through traffic does not turn the left turn into a protected movement either; a left turn on a circular green is generally permitted only with yielding unless a sign or marking says otherwise. A green left-turn arrow is the protected display: oncoming traffic is stopped, and you may turn without yielding to opposing vehicles, though you still watch for pedestrians and conflicts. Here, the flashing yellow arrow and the heavy 50 mph opposing traffic mean you must wait for a safe gap, not treat the signal as an invitation to go.
2. Two left-turn lanes are marked. May you and the SUV turn at the same time, and what path should each vehicle follow?
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Yes, two properly marked left-turn lanes allow two vehicles to turn at the same time, but each must turn into its corresponding lane. You should turn from the left lane into the leftmost available lane of the new road, and the SUV should turn from the right left-turn lane into the next lane. Do not drift wide into the SUV’s lane, and do not assume the SUV will stay in its lane. Because the SUV is slightly ahead, watch its front wheels and turn signal; if it turns wide, slow or adjust your path rather than crowding it. The white arrows and ONLY marking mean these lanes are for left turns only, so neither vehicle should use them to go straight.
3. The signal changes from flashing yellow to solid yellow while you are still waiting at the limit line. What should you do?
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A solid yellow arrow means the permitted left-turn phase is ending and the signal is about to turn red. Because you are still at the limit line and have not entered the intersection, you should stop and wait for the next phase rather than rushing into the intersection on yellow. Entering on yellow to wait for a gap can leave you stranded in the intersection when the light turns red and cross traffic starts. If you had already entered the intersection on the flashing yellow and were waiting for a gap, you would clear the intersection when safe; but that is not your situation. The two cars behind you are not a reason to enter on a yellow that is ending.