A flashing yellow arrow at a left-turn signal means you may turn left, but you do not have the right-of-way. You must yield to oncoming vehicles, to pedestrians in or entering the crosswalk, and to bicyclists before you complete the turn. The federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) defines the signal as permissive: you are “permitted to cautiously enter the intersection only to make the movement indicated by such arrow.”1Federal Highway Administration. 2009 Edition Chapter 4D – Traffic Control Signal Features
What You Must Do at a Flashing Yellow Arrow
The judgment call belongs to you. When the arrow starts flashing, you can move into the turn lane’s stop position and get ready, but you cannot enter the intersection until a gap in oncoming traffic is large enough for you to accelerate through and clear the turn path without forcing anyone to brake or swerve. Oncoming vehicles going straight have the right-of-way. So do pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Bicyclists and motorcyclists are the ones most often missed. They are harder to see and harder to judge for speed, especially at dusk or in rain. Before you commit to the turn, scan the oncoming lanes specifically for smaller road users. If a pedestrian stepped off the curb while your signal was red and is still in the crosswalk when the flashing yellow arrow appears, let them finish before you turn.
Under the MUTCD, the specific parties you must yield to are pedestrians lawfully in a crosswalk, other vehicles already lawfully in the intersection, and vehicles approaching from the opposite direction closely enough to create an immediate hazard.1Federal Highway Administration. 2009 Edition Chapter 4D – Traffic Control Signal Features
What Happens if You Misjudge the Gap
Entering the intersection during a gap that turns out to be too small is a failure-to-yield violation in every state. Fines typically run from roughly $85 to $1,000 depending on the jurisdiction, and most states add points to your driving record. If the misjudgment causes a crash, the turning driver is almost always found at fault, because the flashing yellow arrow assigns the duty to yield to you.
Where the Flashing Yellow Arrow Falls in the Signal Cycle
The flashing yellow arrow almost always appears as one phase of a “protected/permissive” left-turn signal. The signal face cycles through four separate indications, one at a time:2Federal Highway Administration. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 11th Edition – Part 4: Highway Traffic Signals
- Steady green arrow. Opposing traffic is stopped. You have the right-of-way and turn without yielding.
- Steady yellow arrow. The current phase is ending. Finish your turn if you are already in the intersection; otherwise prepare to stop.
- Flashing yellow arrow. You may turn, but only after yielding.
- Steady red arrow. Do not turn. Stop behind the stop line.
One quirk of the sequence catches drivers off guard. When a permissive phase transitions directly into a new protected phase, the green arrow appears immediately after the flashing yellow arrow, with no steady yellow in between.2Federal Highway Administration. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 11th Edition – Part 4: Highway Traffic Signals You go from “yield if safe” straight to “you have the right-of-way.” When the permissive phase is instead ending toward red, a steady yellow arrow does appear as a warning first.
How the Flashing Yellow Arrow Differs from a Green Arrow
The most important distinction on a left-turn signal is between the green arrow and the flashing yellow arrow. A green arrow means the intersection has been cleared for you. A flashing yellow arrow means it has not, and you carry the full legal responsibility for judging whether a gap is safe. Treating a flashing yellow the way you would treat a green arrow is what causes most of the left-turn crashes that still happen at signalized intersections.
The Sign You May See Near the Signal
Some intersections post a rectangular sign near the signal head reading “LEFT TURN YIELD ON FLASHING YELLOW ARROW.” The MUTCD catalogs it as sign R10-25, but it is not required; the standard states that “a supplementary sign shall not be required” when a flashing yellow arrow is used.2Federal Highway Administration. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 11th Edition – Part 4: Highway Traffic Signals If the sign is not there, the rule is exactly the same.
If the Signal Is Dark or Cycling Erratically
A signal that is completely dark or cycling erratically is a different situation from a signal that is intentionally flashing yellow. Nearly every state requires you to treat a malfunctioning or unlit traffic signal as an all-way stop: stop behind the stop line, yield to any vehicles already in the intersection or approaching on the cross street, and proceed only when it is safe. If a police officer or temporary sign is directing traffic, follow those instructions instead.
A left-turn signal that is intentionally flashing yellow is not a malfunction. The ordinary yielding rules apply, and you turn only after the oncoming lanes and crosswalks are clear.