Intersections and traffic circles

By the end of this topic you can

• You can tell controlled and uncontrolled intersections apart.
• You can respond correctly to green, yellow, red and flashing lights.
• You can stop in the right place at a stop sign.
• You can enter, circulate and exit a roundabout safely.

What you need to know and understand

• Green: go with care. Yellow: stop if you can do so safely. Red: stop completely.
• Flashing red: stop completely, then go when safe. Flashing yellow: go through with caution.
• In Ontario, a flashing green light or green left arrow is an advance green, letting you turn left, go straight or turn right while oncoming traffic faces red.
• In BC, a flashing green light means a pedestrian-controlled signal, not an advance turn. Be ready for it to change.
• Do not enter an intersection if traffic is backed up and you cannot clear it.
• At a yield sign, slow down or stop if needed and give way to traffic on the other road.
• In a roundabout, traffic travels counter-clockwise and you yield to vehicles already circulating.

Through a controlled intersection

• Scan early for lights, signs and lane markings.
• If the light has been green a while, expect it to change and be ready to stop.
• At a stop sign, stop at the stop line, or the crosswalk, or the edge of the intersection.
• Look left, right and left again, and check for pedestrians before moving.
• Do not block the intersection if traffic ahead is not moving.

Using a roundabout

1. Slow down as you approach and read the signs for lanes and exits.
2. On multi-lane roundabouts, use the left lane to turn left or go straight, and the right lane to turn right or go straight, unless signs say otherwise.
3. Yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk and to traffic already in the roundabout.
4. Enter when there is a safe gap and travel counter-clockwise.
5. Do not change lanes inside the roundabout.
6. Signal right before your exit and watch for pedestrians as you leave.

Uncontrolled intersections

These are often on quiet residential or rural roads. Slow down, look both ways and be ready to stop. Yield to anyone who arrives first, and if you arrive at the same time as another vehicle, yield to the one on your right.

Common mistakes

• Speeding up to beat a yellow light.
• Rolling through a stop sign without stopping completely.
• Entering a roundabout without yielding to circulating traffic.
• Changing lanes inside a multi-lane roundabout.
• Assuming a flashing green means the same thing in every province.

Test yourself: Intersections and traffic circles

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.