New Brunswick Flashing Lights: Red Stop, Amber Caution

Treat intersection flashing red as a stop sign

Section 122 links flashing red to the stop procedure in section 186(3). Stop at a clearly marked stop line; if none, immediately before the nearest crosswalk; if neither exists, stop where you can see approaching traffic before entering the intersection.

The stop does not complete the yielding decision. The Act also requires yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians as applicable. A brief pause is not a reservation of the intersection.

Use caution at flashing amber

Flashing amber does not impose the same stop-sign instruction. Section 122(2) allows proceeding only with caution. Reduce risk by observing the crossing area and other traffic before continuing; caution is not permission to assume every conflicting road user will wait.

This page concerns flashing intersection signals. A school bus’s flashing red lights, a railway warning or an emergency vehicle has its own rule. Identify the device before applying the answer.

Choose the rule for the actual signal

Separate the control from the priority decision

First identify what the signal requires on your approach. Next identify who is crossing or approaching. Keeping those decisions separate helps avoid answers that stop correctly but then move into a conflict.

The linked signal exercises and right-of-way explanations remain free. The original examples here support learning; consult the current Act for exact provisions and the school-bus reference for that separate situation.