Signs, signals and pavement markings
You are driving in New York City and stop at a steady red light. No sign about turning on red is posted. May you turn right?
- No. In New York City you may not turn on a red light unless a sign permits it. Correct answer
- Yes, after a full stop and yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
- Yes, but only when the street you are turning onto is a one-way street.
Why
This is one of the rules where New York City differs from the rest of the state. Elsewhere, you may turn right at a steady red light after a full stop, yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign or another sign, signal or marking prevents it. In New York City the default is reversed: turning on red is not allowed unless a sign that permits it is posted. So the second answer describes the rule outside the city, not inside it. The third answer mixes in a different rule: the one-way detail belongs to the left turn on red, which is allowed only from a one-way road into another one-way road. Inside New York City, a red light means you wait for the green unless a posted sign gives you the turn.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is No. In New York City you may not turn on a red light unless a sign permits it.
More on signs, signals and pavement markings
- Outside New York City, you are stopped at a steady red light on a one-way road and want to turn left onto another one-way road. No sign or marking prohibits the turn. What may you do?
- A school bus with students on board is stopped at a steady red light outside New York City. No NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. May the bus driver turn right on the red light?
- You are stopped in a lane controlled by a red arrow pointing right. You want to turn right. What must you do?
- You are about to turn left on a green arrow when the arrow changes to yellow. What does the yellow arrow tell you?