Signs, signals and pavement markings
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?
- No. The driver of a school bus carrying students may not turn right on any red light. Correct answer
- Yes, after a full stop and yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
- Yes, but only if no pedestrians are waiting at the corner.
Why
For most drivers outside New York City, a right turn on a steady red light is allowed after a full stop and after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The manual makes one exception by vehicle: a school bus with students aboard may not turn right on any red light at all. That is why both yes answers fail. The second is the general rule for everyone else, and the third adds a condition about pedestrians that does not unlock the turn either. Note the wording: the ban applies to a school bus containing students, and it covers every red light. Students on board are what trigger the ban, and an empty corner does not lift it.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is No. The driver of a school bus carrying students may not turn right on any red light.
More on signs, signals and pavement markings
- 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?
- On a highway with lane-use control lights above the pavement, a steady yellow X lights up over the lane you are driving in. What should you do?
- The center of a two-way road is marked with double solid lines. You want to turn left into a driveway on the other side. What does the manual say?