Lighted turn arrows — Arkansas Permit Test
Lighted turn arrows on the Arkansas permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
A steady red arrow means stop: you may not turn in the direction of the arrow.
Traffic is crossing your turn path on its own green, and turning into it causes a side-impact crash.
A red arrow on a traffic light means you may not turn in the direction of the arrow.
A steady yellow arrow means the signal is getting ready to turn red, and drivers turning left should stop if it is safe to do so.
The arrow is about to go red, and a late turn leaves you crossing lanes just as oncoming traffic is let go.
A steady yellow arrow means the signal is getting ready to turn red. Drivers turning left should stop if it is safe to do so.
A flashing yellow arrow means left turns are permitted, but drivers must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, then proceed with caution.
Oncoming cars still have a green during a flashing yellow arrow, so the gap is yours to judge, not given to you.
A flashing yellow arrow means left turns are permitted. Drivers may turn left but must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, then proceed with caution.
A green arrow means you may turn in the direction of the arrow; left turns are protected and opposing traffic must stop.
A protected turn means oncoming cars are held, so you can turn without judging a gap across their lanes.
A light green arrow on a traffic light means you may turn in the direction of the arrow. Left turns are protected.
If you are in a turn lane with a traffic arrow for your lane, make your turn after the green arrow has appeared and it is safe to do so.
The arrow is timed to hold the traffic that would cross your turn, and turning before it leaves you guessing about the gap.
If you are in a turn lane and there is a traffic arrow for your lane on the traffic light, you should make your turn after the green arrow has appeared and it is safe to do so.
On the test
What does a steady red arrow on a traffic light mean?
You may not turn that way. Traffic is crossing your turn path on its own green, and turning into it causes a side-impact crash. Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, p.24: “A red arrow on a traffic light means you may not turn in the direction of the arrow.”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
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- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, published by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/AR.pdf (Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, Volume 1, Edition 10, October 2026, Arkansas State Police, retrieved 2026-10-04; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/AR.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/AR-exam.txt (the text of the State Police's audio testing instructions, https://media.ark.org/dps/Audio-Testing-Instructions.pdf, read 2026-10-04; states the 20 correct answers that pass)
- https://dps.arkansas.gov/law-enforcement/arkansas-state-police/services-programs/driver-examination/ (read 2026-10-04; links the study guide and the audio testing instructions, states no count or mark)
- https://media.ark.org/dps/Non-Commercial-DL-Testing-Rules_Current-Effective-as-of-7.23.21.pdf (the State Police's Non-Commercial Driver's License Testing Rules, read 2026-10-04; Rule 1 sets the five-day retest wait and no figure)