Traffic Signals
Traffic signals assign right-of-way moment by moment, and the Hawaii exam tests the steady, flashing, and arrow indications separately. Items ask what a flashing yellow arrow permits, when a right turn on red is legal, and what to do when a signal is dark after a storm or outage - a realistic concern in the islands.
Steady indications
- Steady red: stop behind the limit line, then the crosswalk, then the edge of the intersection.
- Steady red arrow: no movement in that direction while it is displayed.
- Steady green: proceed when the intersection is clear; a green light is permission, not protection from cross traffic that is still clearing.
- Steady green arrow: a protected turn; oncoming traffic is stopped.
- Steady yellow: stop if you can do so safely. It is not a signal to accelerate.
Flashing indications
- Flashing red: stop, then proceed when safe. A dark or unpowered signal is treated as a stop for all approaches.
- Flashing yellow: slow down and proceed with caution; you do not have protection.
- Flashing yellow arrow: a permitted turn - yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians before turning.
Turns on red
In Hawaii a right turn on red is permitted after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it, and you must yield to pedestrians and cross traffic. A red arrow, by contrast, forbids the movement entirely until it changes.
Worked example
You want to turn left and face a flashing yellow arrow while oncoming traffic is heavy. Reasoning: the flashing arrow permits the turn but does not protect it, so oncoming vehicles have the right-of-way and pedestrians in the crosswalk come first. You pull into the intersection only when you can complete the turn, and you wait for a gap rather than assuming the arrow clears your path.
Traps that cost marks
- Rolling through a right turn on red without a full stop behind the limit line.
- Turning on a red arrow because “right on red is legal in Hawaii.”
- Treating a flashing yellow arrow as a protected green.
- Entering the intersection on yellow and being stranded when the light changes.
- Failing to treat a dark signal at a power failure as an all-way stop.