New York · April 2026 version
The New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), section by section
The New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) is where the DMV lays out the rules of the road, and the DMV says chapters 4 through 11 hold what you need for the written permit test. Below are the rules and numbers from each chapter that matter most, with the manual page for every point.
Read the full handbook on the DMV website, as a PDF. Page numbers below are the ones printed in the handbook.
Chapters 1 and 2. Driver Licenses and How to Keep Your License
The license classes for new drivers, what a learner permit allows, the rules for junior drivers, and what puts a new license at risk.
- A Class D license needs you to be 18, or 17 if you finished driver education with a certificate. The junior Class DJ license starts at 16. p. 6
- For the vision test you need 20/40 in at least one eye, wearing glasses or contacts if you use them. p. 10
- With a learner permit you only drive with a supervisor who is 21 or older, holds a license for that kind of vehicle and sits in the front seat next to you. p. 11
- On a junior permit you may carry no more than one passenger under 21 who is not immediate family, unless your supervisor is a parent, guardian or instructor, and the front seat is only for the supervisor. p. 13
- Before the road test you should log at least 50 hours behind the wheel, 15 of them after sunset, and ideally 10 in moderate to heavy traffic. p. 13
- A junior permit has to be held for six months before you can take the road test. p. 14
- Tell the DMV about a new address within 10 days, and write it on the back of your license. p. 17
- A junior permit or license is suspended for 60 days after one serious violation (one worth three points or more) or after two lesser ones, and for 120 days after a texting or phone conviction. p. 19
- A new driver who is 18 or older is on probation for six months. Speeding, reckless driving, tailgating, a speed contest, DWAI or any two violations in that time bring a 60-day suspension. p. 19
Chapter 4. Traffic Control
What a sign tells you by its shape and color, what each light means, how lane lines work, and who outranks them all.
- Color and shape tell you the kind of sign: rules usually come on white rectangles, warnings on yellow diamonds, destinations on green and services on blue. p. 29
- At a STOP sign you stop at the stop line; with no line, before the crosswalk; with neither, at the spot closest to the intersection where you can see the crossing road. A YIELD sign means slow down and stop if traffic makes you. p. 29
- Orange signs mark a work area. The limit there can be as low as 25 mph, you slow down even when no limit is posted, and you always do what the flag person signals. p. 30
- When a traffic light is out or not working, treat it as a STOP sign and then follow the right-of-way rules, unless a traffic officer waves you on. p. 30
- After a full stop, and once you have yielded to traffic and pedestrians, you may turn right on a steady red, and left on red only from a one-way road onto another one-way road. Not where a sign forbids it, and not in New York City unless a sign allows it. A school bus carrying students never turns right on red. p. 31
- A flashing red light works like a STOP sign, a red arrow means no going or turning on red in its direction, steady yellow means red is coming, flashing yellow means go with caution, and a yellow arrow means the protected turn is ending. p. 31
- Lane-use lights over the road: a steady red X closes the lane, a steady yellow X tells you to leave it, a flashing yellow X is for left turns only, and a green arrow means you may use it. p. 31
- The solid line at the side of the road marks its edge, and crossing it is illegal unless an officer or a sign allows it. If the edge line angles toward the center, the road ahead gets narrower. p. 31
- White lines divide traffic going your way and yellow lines divide opposing traffic. A broken line lets you pass when safe; a solid line on your side of a broken one does not, except to turn left into a driveway; double solid lines rule out passing and lane changes. p. 32
- A diamond painted in a lane reserves it for buses, carpools, bicycles or other vehicles named on the signs, during the hours they give. p. 33
- A traffic officer outranks signs, lights and markings: stop on green if told to, and go through a red light if told to. p. 33
Chapter 5. Intersections and Turns
Who goes first, how to deal with emergency and hazard vehicles, and where your car must be for each kind of turn.
- Traffic already in the intersection goes first. Turning left, you wait for oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. At an uncontrolled crossing, or when two cars stop at the same time at right angles, the one on the left lets the one on the right go. p. 34
- Coming out of a driveway or parking lot, you stop and let traffic and pedestrians on the road go first. p. 34
- Do not start across an intersection you cannot clear because traffic is backed up beyond it, and give way to vehicles already moving in a traffic circle. p. 35
- For fire, police and ambulance vehicles with flashing red, red and blue, or red and white lights, pull to the right edge and stop, even when they come from the opposite direction. If you are in an intersection, get out of it first. p. 35
- The Move Over law: slow down on any road for emergency or hazard vehicles stopped with their lights on, and on parkways and controlled-access highways also leave the lane next to them when you can. On those highways the same goes for any vehicle stopped on the shoulder. p. 35
- Blue lights on a private car mean a volunteer firefighter and green lights a volunteer ambulance member. Amber lights mark plows, tow trucks, rural mail carriers and school buses. None of these are emergency vehicles; giving way to them is a courtesy. p. 35
- Signal every turn and lane change at least 100 feet ahead, and keep your wheels pointed straight until you actually start turning. p. 36
- For a right turn, move as far right as you can, avoid wide swinging turns and, unless signs say otherwise, finish in the right lane of the new road. p. 36
- U-turns start from the left part of the lane next to the center line. They are illegal where others cannot see you from 500 feet, in New York City business districts, on limited access expressways and in school zones. p. 37
Chapter 6. How to Pass
When passing on the left is off limits, the few cases where passing on the right is allowed, and school buses.
- Passing never allows you to go over the speed limit. A motorcycle gets the full width of its lane, just like a car. p. 39
- No passing on the left with a solid yellow line on your side, where you cannot get back before an oncoming vehicle is within 200 feet, or on a two-way road near a curve or hilltop you cannot see past or within 100 feet of a railroad crossing. p. 39
- Before moving back to the right, signal and wait until the front bumper of the car you passed shows in your inside mirror, then glance over your right shoulder. p. 39
- You may pass on the right only when the car ahead is turning left or on a road with two or more lanes your way, and never by driving on the shoulder unless a sign or an officer allows it. p. 39
- When a stopped school bus flashes red lights, traffic from both directions stops, even on the far side of a divided highway, in front of a school or in its parking lot. Stop at least 20 feet from the bus and wait until it moves or the driver or an officer waves you on. p. 40
- Passing a stopped school bus costs at least $250 the first time and up to $1,000 for three in three years, which also brings a revocation of at least six months. p. 40
Chapter 7. Parallel Parking
Parking on a hill, the three kinds of no-parking sign, and the distances New York applies even where nothing is posted.
- Once parallel parked, your wheels may be no more than a foot from the curb. Do not open the street-side door into bicycles or traffic. p. 42
- On a hill: parking brake on, transmission in Park or first gear, and wheels turned toward the curb or the side of the road. p. 42
- NO PARKING still lets you stop briefly to load or unload goods or people; NO STANDING only to pick up or drop off passengers, and the driver stays in the car; NO STOPPING only to obey a sign, signal or officer, or to avoid a conflict with other traffic. p. 43
- No parking, standing or stopping within 15 feet of a hydrant unless a licensed driver stays in the car to move it. No parking or standing within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a traffic light, STOP or YIELD sign, or 20 feet of a fire station driveway and 75 feet across the road from one. No parking within 50 feet of a railroad crossing. p. 43
- Disabled spaces are only for a vehicle with the permit or plates and with that person on board. In a shopping center the fine is $50 to $75 the first time and $75 to $150 for a second within two years, unless the municipality sets higher fines, plus a $30 surcharge. p. 44
Chapter 8. Defensive Driving
Speed, following distance, seat belts and child seats, work zones, roundabouts, fatigue and phones.
- Where no limit is posted the maximum is 55 mph; in New York City it is 25 mph unless signs say otherwise. Driving below the limit can still earn a ticket if the speed is not reasonable for the conditions. p. 47
- Use the two-second rule to measure your gap, and stretch it to three or four seconds in bad weather or behind a large truck. p. 47
- The driver and every passenger 16 or older must be belted, with fines of up to $50. The driver answers for anyone younger: $25 to $100 and three points per violation. p. 48
- Children under 4 ride in an approved car seat, rear-facing until age 2 or the seat limits; from 4 to 7 they use a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt, unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches or heavier than 100 pounds. p. 48
- Keep at least 10 inches between your chest and the air bag cover, with your hands at 9 and 3. A rear-facing infant seat never goes in front of a passenger air bag. p. 49
- Speeding fines double in a work zone even when no workers are there. A flagger counts as much as a sign, and two seconds or more of gap helps avoid the most common work zone crash, the rear-end collision. p. 49
- Roundabouts run counterclockwise and are built for 30 mph or less. Pick your lane from the signs, give way to pedestrians and to traffic already inside, and do not pass a bicycle in the circle. p. 50
- In a roundabout, put on your right signal as your exit comes up. p. 51
- Against fatigue: plan a stop every 100 miles or two hours and wait 15 minutes after waking before you drive. If you get drowsy, pull off for a nap of 15 to 45 minutes; caffeine takes about 30 minutes to work. p. 52
- Talking on a hand-held phone while driving is an infraction: up to $200 and five points the first time. Texting fines are up to $200, then $250 and $450 within 18 months. Junior and probationary drivers get a 120-day suspension on a first conviction. p. 52
- Your tires need at least two thirty-seconds of an inch of tread, and cuts down to the cords, bumps or bulges make them illegal. p. 53
Chapter 9. Alcohol and Other Drugs
The BAC levels the law uses, what raises and lowers your BAC, chemical tests, and what a conviction costs.
- A BAC above .05 is evidence of impairment, .08 or more of intoxication, and .18 or more of aggravated DWI. A conviction can rest on what the officer saw even without a chemical test. p. 55
- Your BAC depends on how much you drink, how fast and how much you weigh, not on the kind of drink. A 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, an ounce and a half of liquor and a 12-ounce wine cooler each raise a 150-pound man's BAC by about .02, and the body takes about an hour to clear that. p. 55
- Only time brings your BAC down. Coffee, exercise or a cold shower may keep you awake but do not sober you up. p. 56
- Driving in New York means you have agreed to a chemical test. Refuse it and your license is suspended at arraignment, the refusal can be used at trial, and a DMV hearing can revoke the license even if you are acquitted. p. 56
- Refusing a chemical test brings at least a one-year revocation, whether you are over 21 or a first-time refuser under 21. p. 21
- Zero Tolerance: a driver under 21 with a BAC of .02 to .07 loses the license for six months after a DMV hearing and pays a $100 fee plus a $125 civil penalty to get it back. A second time means at least a year, or until 21 if that is later. p. 57
- An open container or drinking in a car on a public road is an infraction for the driver and for passengers, and so is consuming cannabis there; passengers in limousines and other vehicles with a commerce permit are exempt. A first conviction can bring a fine up to $150 and possibly 15 days in jail. p. 57
- A first DWI is a misdemeanor: a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 1 year in jail and at least a 6-month revocation. A first DWAI is a traffic infraction: $300 to $500, up to 15 days and a 90-day suspension. A first aggravated DWI costs $1,000 to $2,500. p. 58
- A DWI conviction means a court-ordered ignition interlock for at least 12 months, which the court can waive once the device has been in for six. Driving drunk with a child under 16 aboard can be charged as a felony under Leandra's Law, with up to four years in prison. p. 59
Chapter 10. Special Driving Conditions
Railroad crossings, expressways, night driving, bad weather and winter, deer, and what to do in an emergency.
- A train can come on any track at any time from either side. Never race one, never go around lowered gates and never stop on the tracks. p. 60
- Flashing lights, a bell or lowered gates mean you stop at least 15 feet from the tracks and wait until the lights and bell stop and the gates are fully up. School buses, buses with passengers and vehicles hauling explosives or flammables stop at every crossing. p. 61
- If you stall on the tracks, get everyone out and away, call the number on the Emergency Notification System sign, and if a train is coming run toward it and away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle. p. 61
- Expressways usually have a 55 mph limit, 65 mph on some rural stretches. If you miss your exit, go on to the next one; never back up on a ramp. Signal at least 100 feet before the exit ramp. p. 62
- Your headlights reach about 350 feet, so at night drive at a speed that lets you stop within that range. p. 62
- Headlights go on from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, when you cannot see 1,000 feet, and whenever you need your wipers; daytime running lights do not count. Switch to low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming car and 200 feet of one ahead. p. 63
- In rain, fog or snow keep your headlights on low beam: high beams reflect off whatever is falling and make it harder to see. Worn or underinflated tires make hydroplaning more likely. p. 63
- Studded tires are allowed only from October 16 to April 30. If the rear wheels skid, steer the same way they are sliding; with ABS keep steady pressure on the brake, without it pump the pedal gently. Bridges and overpasses freeze first. p. 64
- Two-thirds of deer crashes happen in October, November and December, and deer move most at dawn and dusk. They travel in groups: if one crosses, expect more. p. 64
- Blowout: grip the wheel and ease off the gas, braking only once the car is under control. Stuck accelerator: shift to neutral and brake, without switching off the ignition. A car coming head-on in your lane: slow down, move right and sound the horn, never swerve left. p. 65
- If your car goes into water, unbuckle and get out through a window: opening a door lets the water rush in. p. 66
Chapter 11. Sharing the Road
Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles and mopeds, large vehicles, and the slower users of the road.
- A blind pedestrian with a guide dog or a white or metal cane always has the right-of-way at a crosswalk, even against the signal. With children around, get out and look before backing into or out of a driveway. p. 67
- Never pass a car that has stopped at a crosswalk: someone you cannot see may be crossing in front of it. p. 68
- Bicyclists ride at most two abreast and riders and passengers aged 1 to 13 wear helmets. Every bicycle on a public road needs working brakes and a bell or horn that can be heard from 100 feet; at night it also needs a headlight seen from 500 feet and a red taillight seen from 300, with one of the two visible from 200 feet to either side. p. 69
- A bicyclist must report a crash that kills or seriously injures someone to the DMV within 10 days. p. 69
- Before a right turn on red, stop fully and look left, right, left and behind you for a bicyclist coming up on your right. p. 70
- Two motorcycles may ride side by side in one lane, but a motorcycle may not share a lane with a car or truck. p. 71
- Class B and C mopeds keep to the right lane as far right as they can; Class A mopeds may use any lane. Mopeds stay off expressways unless signs allow them. p. 74
- A tractor with a long hood can have a blind spot 20 feet long in front of it. Trucks swing left before a right turn, so watch their signals. p. 74
- Wait for a truck that is backing up instead of passing behind it, and always leave room when you stop behind a truck or bus, above all when facing uphill. p. 75
- An orange reflective triangle marks a slow-moving vehicle. ATVs and snowmobiles stop and cross roads at 90 degrees, and you may not sound your horn near a horse. p. 76
Chapter 12. If You Are in a Traffic Crash
What you owe the other people involved, and the report the DMV expects from you.
- Stop after any crash, however small. Leaving the scene of one with property damage is a violation; leaving one where someone is hurt or killed is a crime. Swap names, addresses, license, registration and insurance details. p. 77
- Report the crash to the DMV within 10 days if someone was hurt or killed or any one person had $1,000 or more in property damage. Telling your insurer is not enough, and failing to report is a misdemeanor. p. 77
Now practice it
83 rules on this page; the test asks about them in situations. Take the New York practice test or go through the questions by topic, each on its own page with the answer and the explanation.
Last updated: October 17, 2026