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Traffic signals

Flashing red light

What it means

Treat it like a stop sign: come to a complete stop, then go only when the intersection is clear and it is safe.

Traffic lights, lane-control and pedestrian signals.

Summarised from ICBC’s Learn to Drive Smart. Read the original: Signs signals and road markings ↗

How to recognise it

The top light of the signal flashing red.

Where you will see it

At some intersections controlled by traffic lights, and at a signal that stops working properly, when all its lights may start flashing.

What to do when you see it

  1. 1.Come to a complete stop, in the same place you would for a stop sign.
  2. 2.After stopping, move into the intersection when it is clear and safe to do so, following the right-of-way rules for stop signs.

On the knowledge test

Treat it as a stop sign: stop, then go when it is safe. You do not wait for a green. If the lights are out, or all of them are flashing, treat the intersection as if there were a stop sign at every corner.

Practice questions for this sign

What does a flashing red light at an intersection mean?