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?
- Wait until the red arrow goes off and a green light or green arrow comes on. Correct answer
- Turn after a full stop and after yielding, as you could at a steady red light.
- Turn with caution once the crosswalk you are turning across is empty.
Why
A red arrow is stricter than a steady red light. At a steady red light, outside New York City, a right turn is allowed after a full stop and after yielding. At a red arrow that permission does not exist: the manual rules out turning right or left on red when the arrow is red, and you may not go in the direction of the arrow until it goes off and a green light or green arrow appears. An empty crosswalk does not change this, because the arrow controls the movement itself. Here the shape of the light decides it, since a steady red light may let you turn once you have stopped, but a red arrow never does.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Wait until the red arrow goes off and a green light or green arrow comes on.
More on signs, signals and pavement markings
- 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?
- A solid white edge line marks where the travel lane ends and the shoulder begins. When may you drive across it?