Traffic signals — West Virginia Permit Test
Traffic signals on the West Virginia permit test — 8 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
At a circular green light you may enter the intersection and go straight, turn right or turn left, unless a sign or marking forbids it, and every turn follows the ordinary right of way rules.
A green light gives you the intersection, not the space inside it somebody is still crossing.
Circular Green / GO - Drivers facing this signal may enter the intersection and go straight through turn right or left unless other traffic control devices signs or pavement markings prohibit certain movements.
A driver facing a circular green light who wants to turn left must yield to oncoming vehicles.
The oncoming driver is going where the road goes; you are the one crossing their path.
A driver who is facing a circular green indication and wishes to turn left must yield to oncoming vehicles.
A green arrow means you may enter the intersection to make the movement it shows, and in a left-turn signal it usually means oncoming traffic is stopped.
Somebody else is holding the oncoming traffic, which a plain green light does not do.
When the green arrow is shown in a left-turn signal it usually means that opposing traffic is stopped.
A steady circular yellow light means the green is ending and will change to red; you should only drive through it if your vehicle is already within the intersection.
Speeding up to beat it puts you in the crossing exactly as the other direction gets its turn.
This means that the green light is ending and will change to red. You should only drive through a yellow light if the vehicle clearance is within the intersection.
Traffic facing a steady circular red light must stop and stay stopped until another signal allows them to go, unless making a permitted turn on red.
The stop line is set back far enough that people crossing have room in front of you.
Traffic facing a steady circular red signal must stop unless making a movement permitted by a green arrow. The driver must remain stopped until allowed to proceed by another indication.
A driver may turn right on red at the intersection of two-way streets, or turn left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after yielding to all other traffic and people crossing and where no sign forbids it.
Both streets running one way is what keeps the left turn clear of oncoming traffic.
A driver may turn right on red at the intersection of two-way streets or may turn left on red from a one-way street to another one-way street.
A steady red arrow means come to a complete stop before reaching the intersection.
The arrow holds your movement alone while everything else keeps going.
Steady Red Arrow/ LEFT TURN - Come to a complete stop before reaching the intersection stop line or cross walk for the direction indicated by the arrow.
A yellow left-turn arrow means the green arrow is ending and will change to red.
The protection you had is about to be handed to the oncoming traffic.
Yellow Arrow / LEFT TURN - This means that the green arrow is ending and will change to red.
On the test
What may you do at a circular green light?
Go straight or turn, unless a sign forbids it. A green light gives you the intersection, not the space inside it somebody is still crossing. West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, p.39: “Circular Green / GO - Drivers facing this signal may enter the intersection and go straight through turn right or left unless other traffic control devices signs or pavement markings prohibit certain movements.”
How this works
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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.
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, published by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.