Permis PrêtFlashing green light in Quebec: what does it mean?
A signal that often puzzles drivers who learned to drive outside Quebec.
Short answer: at a Quebec intersection, a flashing green light means you can turn left with priority: oncoming traffic has been stopped. You must still yield to any vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians already in the intersection.
At the intersection: a protected left turn
Under the Code de la sécurité routière (Quebec’s Highway Safety Code), a green light, flashing or not, lets you proceed after yielding to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians already in the intersection (s. 363). The SAAQ handbook explains the Quebec twist: when the green flashes, vehicles coming the other way are held, so your left turn is protected (Guide de la route, ch. 3, “Le feu vert”).
In practice:
- You can turn left without waiting for a gap in oncoming traffic, since it is facing a red.
- You can also go straight or turn right, as with an ordinary green.
- Stay alert: a pedestrian or cyclist still crossing, or a vehicle finishing its crossing, keeps the right of way.
- Once the green stops flashing and turns solid, oncoming traffic may start moving: your left turn becomes an ordinary one, and you yield to vehicles coming the other way (s. 350).
Flashing green or green arrow?
Some intersections use a green arrow instead. The idea is similar: a green arrow, flashing or steady, tells you which direction to go, and you yield to anyone already in the intersection, as with a green light (Highway Safety Code, s. 364; Guide de la route, ch. 3, “La flèche verte”).
| Light | What you do |
|---|---|
| Solid green | Go; to turn left, yield to oncoming traffic |
| Flashing green | Protected left turn: oncoming traffic is stopped |
| Green arrow | Go in the direction of the arrow |
| In every case | Yield to road users already in the intersection |
A flashing green light on a car
You may also see a flashing green light on a vehicle. The Code allows a firefighter authorized by their fire service to use one on their vehicle when answering an emergency call (s. 226.2). The handbook explains that the light makes them easier to spot on the way to the fire station or the scene, and lets them use the shoulder or stop when it is safe. The firefighter must still obey speed limits and signs (Guide de la route, ch. 4, section on firefighters’ flashing green lights). For other drivers, the handbook talks about making them easy to locate and showing courtesy.
Key points for the test
- Flashing green at an intersection = protected left turn; oncoming traffic is stopped.
- Always yield to road users already in the intersection.
- A flashing green light on a car can mean a firefighter heading to an emergency.
Original questions with an explanation and a source, “Road signs and signals” section.
Practise for free
See also
- Flashing yellow or red light: what to do
- Right turn on red in Quebec and Montreal
- The safety corridor rule
Official sources
- Code de la sécurité routière (Highway Safety Code, CQLR c. C-24.2), ss. 226.2, 350, 363 and 364
- SAAQ, Guide de la route (4th ed., 2024, French), ch. 3, “Le feu vert” and “La flèche verte”; ch. 4, section “Le feu vert clignotant dans un véhicule personnel […]”
General information page, current as of 2026-10-28. If in doubt, the official text prevails. Rules can change: check saaq.gouv.qc.ca and legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca.