Traffic signals — New Jersey Permit Test
Traffic signals on the New Jersey permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
On a traffic signal hung vertically the red light is at the top, and on a horizontal one it is at the left.
A driver who cannot tell the colors apart can still read the position of the lit lamp.
When traffic signals are hung vertically, the red light is always on top.
At a red light a driver stops before the intersection or crosswalk and stays stopped until it turns green.
Creeping forward while waiting takes away the space the crossing traffic is turning through.
A motorist must stop before the intersection or crosswalk and remain stopped until the light changes to green.
A yellow arrow means the signal is changing and gives a driver a chance to stop safely.
It is the end of the protected turn, not an invitation to hurry through it.
A yellow arrow means the signal is changing from green to red and gives the motorist a chance to stop safely.
A green arrow means a driver may proceed as the arrow shows, yielding to people crossing.
The arrow clears the way from other traffic. It does nothing about somebody on foot.
When shown alone or in combination with the red signal, proceed only as shown by the arrow.
A flashing yellow light means slow down and proceed with care.
It marks a place where something is likely to happen rather than a place to stop.
Slow down and proceed with care.
A flashing red light means stop, yield to traffic and people crossing, and go when it is safe.
It works the way a stop sign works, and it is often used where one would be.
Stop. Yield to traffic and pedestrians. Go only when safe.
On the test
Where is the stop lamp on a vertical traffic signal?
At the top. A driver who cannot tell the colors apart can still read the position of the lit lamp. New Jersey Driver Manual, p.212: “When traffic signals are hung vertically, the red light is always on top.”
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
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against New Jersey Driver Manual, published by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-15.