Traffic Laws, Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
What the exam tests
This domain checks whether you can read Georgia's signs, signals, and pavement markings as legal instructions, not decoration. Expect questions on sign shape and color, turning rules, lane markings, and special Georgia laws such as the Move Over Law and school-bus stopping.
Core rules
- Sign families: red and white regulatory signs such as STOP, YIELD, and speed limits carry legal duties; yellow diamond warning signs flag hazards; orange marks work zones; green guides; blue services; brown recreation.
- Shapes: octagon means stop, inverted triangle means yield, pennant means no passing, diamond means warning, and crossbuck marks a railroad crossing.
- Signals: steady red means stop. A right turn on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it. Georgia also permits a left turn on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street after stopping, unless posted. A green arrow protects the turn; a flashing yellow arrow means yield to oncoming traffic before turning. A red arrow means no turn in that direction.
- Markings: yellow lines separate opposite directions; white lines separate same-direction traffic. Broken lines may be crossed when safe; solid lines should not be crossed. Double solid yellow means no passing in either direction.
- Special Georgia rules: move over one lane, or slow below the limit if moving is unsafe, for stationary emergency, tow, utility, or sanitation vehicles with flashing lights. Stop for a school bus with red lights and stop arm unless the road is divided by a median or barrier. Work-zone fines can double when workers are present.
Worked example
You face a flashing yellow left arrow. An oncoming car is close but not signaling. Reasoning: the arrow is not protected; it permits the turn only after yielding. The oncoming car has the right of way, so you wait. Turning into its path would be a failure-to-yield violation even if you had the arrow.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating a flashing yellow arrow as a green arrow.
- Turning right on red without a complete stop or ignoring a NO TURN ON RED sign.
- Crossing a solid yellow line to pass because traffic is light.
- Forgetting that opposing traffic does not stop for a school bus across a divided median.