Mississippi Traffic Signals practice test

Key Mississippi facts: Traffic Signals

• A right turn on red is allowed unless a sign forbids it, but only after a complete stop and yielding; yielding without stopping is illegal. Traffic Signal Lights, PDF p. 37
• For a left turn, a flashing yellow arrow and a solid green light mean the same thing: yield to oncoming traffic. Traffic Signal Lights, PDF pp. 37-38
• A green left arrow shown with a red light allows a left turn from the turn lane but no travel straight through. PDF p. 38
• At a malfunctioning signal flashing yellow, slow down and use caution; at a signal with no lights working, stop completely and then proceed with caution. PDF p. 39
• An officer usually signals stop with a raised hand, palm toward the driver, and one long whistle blast, signals go by waving with a series of short blasts, and may use a flashlight at night. Traffic Officers, PDF p. 40

Sample Traffic Signals questions

A traffic officer motions with one hand and gives a series of short whistle blasts. What does it mean?

• Start or keep moving
• Stop at once
• Turn around
• Pull over and park

Show the answer

Start or keep moving

An officer may also use a flashlight to signal after dark.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Traffic Officers, PDF p. 40

How does a traffic officer usually signal you to stop?

• Both arms lowered and two quick blasts
• A pointed finger and no whistle at all
• A hand wave and several short blasts
• A raised palm and one long whistle blast

Show the answer

A raised palm and one long whistle blast

Always follow an officer's directions, even when they differ from the signs or signals.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Traffic Officers, PDF p. 40

Near a railroad crossing, what does a solid yellow line on the pavement do?

• It marks the route for bicycles
• It shows a lane for left turns
• It marks where drivers may park
• It bars passing near the crossing

Show the answer

It bars passing near the crossing

A white line is also painted on each side of the track.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Railroad Crossings, PDF p. 35

Your lane has a two-headed arrow pointing straight and left. What may you do?

• Turn left only from it
• Go straight only from it
• Turn either right or left
• Go straight or turn left

Show the answer

Go straight or turn left

Pick the lane whose arrow matches where you want to go, and stay in it through the turn.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Directional Arrows, PDF p. 26

A malfunctioning traffic light is flashing yellow. What should you do?

• Speed up to clear it
• Stop and wait for green
• Turn around and go back
• Slow down and use caution

Show the answer

Slow down and use caution

If no lights work at all, stop completely and then go ahead with caution.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, PDF p. 39

According to the Mississippi manual, how should drivers treat a single solid white lane line?

• Crossing it is discouraged
• Crossing it is prohibited
• It separates opposite traffic
• It must be crossed to turn

Show the answer

Crossing it is discouraged

A double solid white line, by contrast, may not be crossed at all.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Pavement Markings, PDF p. 25

For a left turn, which signal means the same as a solid green light?

• A steady red arrow light
• A steady green arrow
• A flashing red light
• A flashing yellow arrow

Show the answer

A flashing yellow arrow

Both let you turn left only after yielding to oncoming traffic.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Traffic Signal Lights, PDF pp. 37-38

Where must you never stop your car at an intersection?

• On any part of a crosswalk
• Behind another car
• In a right-turn lane
• Behind a marked stop line

Show the answer

On any part of a crosswalk

Drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, marked or not.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Crosswalks, PDF p. 26

The signal shows a green left arrow and a red light. You are in the turn lane. What may you do?

• Neither turn nor go straight
• Go straight, but not turn
• Turn left or go straight
• Turn left, but not go straight

Show the answer

Turn left, but not go straight

The red light still stops traffic going straight through the intersection.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, PDF p. 38

What is painted on the pavement before many railroad crossings?

• The word SLOW in red
• A yellow diamond symbol
• A large X with two R's
• A row of white triangles

Show the answer

A large X with two R's

A solid yellow line also bars passing before the crossing.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Railroad Crossings, PDF p. 35

Take this topic's test

More Mississippi practice

• Full practice testAll topics, as in the knowledge test
• Road SignsWhat signs mean and what to do when you see them90 questions, 12 on Mississippi rules
• Right-of-WayWho goes first at intersections, crosswalks and roundabouts31 questions, 13 on Mississippi rules
• Lanes & TurnsLane markings, turns, passing and merging39 questions, 12 on Mississippi rules
• Speed LimitsLimits and how to adjust your speed22 questions, 10 on Mississippi rules
• ParkingCurb colors, hills and where you can't park29 questions, 10 on Mississippi rules
• Safe DrivingFollowing distance, weather, night driving and sharing the road65 questions, 22 on Mississippi rules
• Alcohol & DrugsBlood alcohol limits, DUI rules and medication28 questions, 15 on Mississippi rules
• EmergenciesBreakdowns, emergency vehicles and railroad crossings26 questions, 15 on Mississippi rules
• License RulesPermits, restrictions for new drivers and points28 questions, 28 on Mississippi rules
• Insurance & CollisionsRequired coverage and what to do after a crash24 questions, 11 on Mississippi rules
• Phones & DistractionPhone rules and other distractions20 questions, 11 on Mississippi rules

About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Mississippi Driver's License Manual ('Revised December 2024' (PDF p. 2), file '1.15.2025 Revised MDPS Driver's Manual.pdf' on driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov (posted as the new manual on 2025-03-10), 92 PDF pages, read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages, which equal the printed page numbers. Where the manual is silent or out of date, the Driver Service Bureau pages (Regular Learner's Permit, Regular Driver License, Hardship License, Knowledge Testing Policy, the August 2025 DUI FAQ and the 2026-06-25 Driver's Education Update), Miss. Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1, and the Mississippi Code are the source. The official Mississippi Code is published only by LexisNexis (linked from sos.ms.gov, not a .gov host), so statute text was read from bills on billstatus.ls.state.ms.us that reproduce the current section before amendment: 63-3-809 (2026 HB 287), 63-3-615 (2025 HB 7), 63-3-501 (2025 HB 74), 63-33-1 (2026 HB 291) and 63-11-30 (2024 SB 2606); none of those bills was enacted, and the 2025 and 2026 session lists of enacted bills show no other change to these traffic rules (SB 2314 and SB 2322 of 2026 change license administration only). Differences found and how they were handled: (1) the manual's emergency vehicle section (p. 67) covers only emergency vehicles, while 63-3-809(3) and (5) also require moving over or slowing for stopped recovery, utility service, sanitation and highway maintenance vehicles and rural mail carriers, with fines up to $250 or $1,000 (63-3-809(6)); questions follow the statute; (2) the manual gives no penalty for texting; 63-33-1(3) makes it a civil violation with a $100 fine, used in one question; (3) the speed table (p. 41) gives limits that 'usually apply' (interstates 70, four-lane highways 65, two-lane highways 55), while 63-3-501 sets 65 as the general maximum and lets the Transportation Commission raise interstates and four-lane controlled-access highways to no more than 70; questions use 'usually' for the table and the statute for the general maximum; (4) the railroad stop rule is printed as 'within fifty to ten feet' (pp. 35-36) and is read as between 10 and 50 feet from the outer rail; (5) the manual (p. 11) requires the exam when an out-of-state license is expired over thirty days, while the Regular Driver License page says any expired out-of-state license; the question uses 'more than 30 days', true under both; (6) Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1 (filed 2014) is partly out of date (one-year permit, $3 fee, road test rules) against the current DSB pages; only its 80% pass rule is used. The school zone limit of 15 mph (pp. 31, 41) could not be checked against statute text on an official host and comes from the manual only. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.