Turns, lanes, passing and parking
You need to stop briefly at the curb to unload a box of merchandise for a store. Which of these signs still allows that stop?
- NO PARKING Correct answer
- NO STANDING
- NO STOPPING
Why
New York splits what people call parking into three categories, and each sign removes a different amount. A NO PARKING sign still lets you make a temporary stop to load or unload merchandise or passengers, so unloading the box is allowed there. A NO STANDING sign is stricter: you may stop only briefly to pick up or drop off passengers, and the driver may not get out of the vehicle, so merchandise is out. A NO STOPPING sign is the strictest: you may stop only to obey a sign, signal or officer, or to avoid a conflict with other vehicles. Read the three signs as a ladder, where NO PARKING still lets you handle goods and passengers, NO STANDING leaves only passengers, and NO STOPPING leaves nothing but what a sign, a signal, an officer or the traffic forces on you.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is NO PARKING.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- You plan to change lanes on a multi-lane road. What is the minimum distance the law sets for signaling before the lane change?
- You are making a right turn onto a road with several lanes, and no signs tell you otherwise. Which lane should you turn into?
- You are on a one-way road and will turn left onto another one-way road that has two lanes. How should you make the turn?
- You have pulled into an intersection and are waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can turn left. How should your front wheels be pointed while you wait?