Pedestrian beacons — Idaho Permit Test

A Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, sometimes called a HAWK, is two red lenses positioned over a single yellow lens.

It does not look like an ordinary signal, and a driver who reads it as one will not know what the dark face means.

The Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (sometimes called HAWK) consists of two red lenses positioned over a single yellow lens

The signal a driver sees at a pedestrian hybrid beacon is unlit until a pedestrian pushes the crosswalk button.

A dark face is normal here rather than a fault, which is the part that catches drivers out.

The signal light the driver sees is unlit until the pedestrian pushes the crosswalk button

The beacon then shows a flashing yellow light that warns drivers approaching the crosswalk to slow down.

It is the first thing to change, and it is the only warning a driver gets before the stop.

Then it turns to a flashing yellow light that warns drivers approaching the crosswalk to slow down

The flashing yellow is followed by a solid yellow light telling drivers to prepare to stop.

It is the ordinary yellow warning, arriving at a crosswalk instead of at an intersection.

The flashing yellow light is followed by a solid yellow light, telling drivers to prepare to stop

Two solid red lights tell drivers to stop at the stop line, and vehicles must stop completely when the lights are steady red.

Steady red here means what it means anywhere: a complete stop, held until the display changes.

Vehicles must stop completely when the signal lights are steady red

When the red lights flash alternately, the driver must stop, yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, and proceed when the crosswalk is clear.

The flashing red is what lets traffic move again before the pedestrian has finished the far side.

the driver must stop, yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, and proceed when the crosswalk is clear

Normal vehicle traffic can resume when the light turns dark again.

The dark face at the end means the same as the dark face at the start, which is that nobody is crossing.

Normal vehicle traffic can resume when the light turns dark again

Intersections with pedestrian hybrid beacons have no traffic signals facing the side street approaches, and a side street controlled by a stop sign stays controlled by that stop sign.

The beacon is there for the crosswalk, not for the intersection, so the side street's own rule is unchanged.

Any side street that is controlled by a stop sign will continue to be controlled by a stop sign when a pedestrian hybrid beacon is in place

Pedestrian crossing beacons let pedestrians cross the highway and let drivers proceed as soon as the pedestrians have passed.

They hold traffic for as long as the crossing takes and no longer, which is why the display keeps changing.

Pedestrian crossing beacons allow pedestrians to cross the highway and permit drivers to proceed as soon as the pedestrians have passed

Before turning a corner, watch for people about to cross the street.

The turn takes a driver's eyes to the road they are joining, and the crosswalk they are crossing is behind that look.

Before turning a corner, watch for people about to cross the street

How is a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon arranged?

Two red lenses over a single yellow lens. It does not look like an ordinary signal, and a driver who reads it as one will not know what the dark face means. July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.56: “The Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (sometimes called HAWK) consists of two red lenses positioned over a single yellow lens”