Signal out or flashing red Treat it as an all-way stop
A traffic signal that is dark, or that flashes red, works like a STOP sign: stop at the limit line, then go when it is safe. When the signal is out, treat the intersection as if it had STOP signs in all directions.
CVC 21800(d)(1) (signal not working) · CVC 21457(a) (flashing red) · CA Driver's Handbook, "Traffic Light Not Working" and "Flashing Red Light"What do you do when a traffic light is out in California?
Treat it as an all-way stop: stop, then go with caution when it is safe (CVC 21800(d)(1)). A flashing red works like a STOP sign too.
Why this rule exists
With the signal out, nobody is told to wait. If everyone stops and takes turns, no two cars enter at once.
Step by step on the road
- Look for the signal heads at every big intersection: a dark signal is easy to miss.
- Slow down and stop. At a flashing red, stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line.
- See who stopped before you. The driver who got there first goes first.
- If you arrive at the same time as another driver, yield to the driver on your right.
- Go when it is your turn and the way is clear.
Common mistakes
- Driving through a dark signal as if it were green.
- Rolling through a flashing red instead of making a full stop.
- Going out of turn, ahead of a car that stopped first.
On the DMV drive test
DL 955 lists going through a flashing red light, or going faster than a brisk walking speed (4 mph) there, as a critical driving error, the same as at a STOP sign. At each stop the DL 32 score sheet also marks braking, the full stop and where you stop: within about 6 feet behind the limit line, with the front of the car not over it. When you start again, accept the right-of-way without causing confusion or holding up traffic.
Based on the DMV’s Driving Test Criteria (DL 955) and its score sheet (DL 32). How the drive test works ›Questions people ask
Is a flashing red light the same as a STOP sign?
Yes. At a flashing red you stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk, and then go by the same rules as after a stop at a STOP sign (CVC 21457(a)).
Who goes first when the traffic lights are out?
The driver who stopped first. If two drivers arrive at the same time, the one on the left yields to the one on the right; at a T-intersection the through road goes first (CVC 21800(d)).
Do you have to stop at a dark traffic light if the road looks empty?
Yes. CVC 21800(d)(1) says to stop at an intersection whose signals are not working, and to go on with caution only when it is safe.
Test yourself
Kees' three questions on this rule, the “Did you know?” facts and his tip come with the drive, in Voorrah! Pro.
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