Pavement Markings and Traffic Signals
Paint and signal heads carry as much legal weight as signs. The exam tests whether you can read line color and pattern, interpret crosswalks and stop bars, and match each signal indication - steady, flashing, arrow - to the correct action.
Lines
Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate traffic moving the same direction or mark the right edge. A dashed line permits crossing; a solid line discourages or prohibits it; a double solid yellow line prohibits passing in both directions. On a divided highway the left edge is marked with yellow and the right edge with white. Bike lanes are bounded by white lines and marked with a bicycle symbol; green paint in DC emphasizes conflict areas, and stopping or parking in a bike lane is prohibited.
Intersections
A wide white stop bar marks where to stop for a signal or sign. Crosswalks are marked with parallel lines or with continental bars; either way, pedestrians in them have the right of way. A painted 'Don't Block the Box' grid means do not enter the intersection unless you can clear it.
Signals
Steady red: stop; right turn on red only after a full stop and a yield, and only if not prohibited. Steady red arrow: no movement in that direction. Flashing red: stop, then proceed when safe, like a stop sign. Steady yellow: stop if you can do so safely. Flashing yellow arrow: permissive turn - yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Green arrow: protected movement. A dark signal is treated as an all-way stop.
Worked example
A driver waiting to turn left gets a flashing yellow arrow while oncoming traffic has a green light. The driver must not turn as if protected; they pull into the intersection, yield to oncoming vehicles and pedestrians, and turn only in a safe gap. A flashing yellow arrow is permissive, so the right-of-way belongs to oncoming traffic.
Traps
Confusing a solid and a dashed line when passing; turning on a red arrow; entering the box on a green light without room to exit; and assuming a flashing yellow arrow gives protection.