Traffic officer hand signals: who can go and who must stop?

A traffic officer’s hand signals control traffic. A raised arm means stop, except when a driver cannot stop safely or has already entered the junction. Outstretched arms stop traffic crossing them and allow traffic along their direction.

Raised arm: attention and stop

When an officer raises one arm vertically, the signal means “attention, stop”. You must stop unless you are so close that doing so would be unsafe. If the signal is given at a junction and you have already entered it, it does not require you to stop in the middle: clear the junction carefully.

For a theory question, do not assume that the raised arm means every vehicle must stop in every position. The rule accounts for drivers who cannot stop safely and those already in the junction. In both cases, avoid dangerous braking or stopping in the conflict area.

Outstretched arms: check which direction you are approaching from

When one or both arms are stretched horizontally, drivers coming from directions that cross the line indicated by the arms must stop. Traffic travelling along the direction of the arms may proceed, while respecting other road users and any further instructions from the officer.

A simple way to picture it: imagine the officer standing in the middle of a cross. Vehicles approaching from the front or behind, across the line of the arms, stop; vehicles travelling parallel to the arms may have a green light. Watch the officer, not only the traffic light.

If the officer lowers their arms

After the outstretched-arm signal, the officer may lower their arms. The Code still means stop for road users facing the officer or behind them, and proceed for those to the officer’s side. Your instruction depends on the officer’s position relative to you, not the direction you are looking down the road.

The officer’s directions override other prescriptions. Quiz Patente Ufficiale can help you review questions about signs and hand signals and understand why an answer is true or false.

Quiz Patente Ufficiale lets you practise questions about traffic officers’ signals, check your answers and return to the rule behind a true-or-false choice.

For more detail, read How to recognise road signs by shape and colour.

For another practical example, see Quiz patente: quale segnale prevale quando sembrano contraddirsi.