New York Traffic Signals practice test

Practice lights, arrows and pedestrian signals: 31 questions based on the New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), 9 of them on New York's own rules.

Start 20 questions

Key New York facts: Traffic Signals

Sample Traffic Signals questions

Outside New York City, what must you do before turning right on a steady red light?

  • Stop fully and yield
  • Slow down and sound your horn
  • Wait for the light to turn green
Show the answer

Stop fully and yield

Yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. You can't turn if a NO TURN ON RED sign or another control prevents it.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

In New York, what does a yellow arrow tell a driver turning that way?

  • Oncoming traffic now has a red light
  • The green arrow's protection is ending
  • The turn is banned at all hours
Show the answer

The green arrow's protection is ending

If you plan to turn in the arrow's direction, be prepared to stop.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

In New York City, when may you turn right on a steady red light?

  • When no pedestrians are near
  • Only when a sign permits it
  • After any full stop
Show the answer

Only when a sign permits it

New York City reverses the usual rule: a turn on red needs a sign that allows it.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

In New York, when may you turn left on a steady red light after stopping and yielding?

  • From a two-way road onto a two-way road
  • From a one-way road onto a one-way road
  • From a two-way road onto a one-way road
Show the answer

From a one-way road onto a one-way road

The rule applies only when both roads are one-way, and signs or markings can still prevent the turn.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

You face a red light in New York where a crosswalk is painted but there is no stop line. Where do you stop?

  • Before the crosswalk
  • Past the crosswalk
  • Inside the crosswalk
Show the answer

Before the crosswalk

Stop before the stop line if there is one. Otherwise stop before you reach the crosswalk.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

A New York STOP sign has no stop line or crosswalk. Where must you stop?

  • At the center of the intersection
  • Near the intersection, where you can see cross traffic
  • Beside the STOP sign itself, wherever it stands
Show the answer

Near the intersection, where you can see cross traffic

Stop before entering, at the closest spot from which you can see traffic on the cross road.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

On a New York road, what does a flashing yellow X above a lane mean?

  • It can only be used for left turns
  • It is closed to all traffic
  • It can only be used by buses
Show the answer

It can only be used for left turns

This lane-use signal is different from a steady yellow X, which tells you to leave the lane.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 4, Traffic Control

At a red light, when may you turn left after stopping, unless a sign forbids it?

  • From a one-way street onto another one-way street
  • Onto any street, if no one is coming
  • From any street, when it looks clear
Show the answer

From a one-way street onto another one-way street

This is the one left turn you can make on red. Stop and yield first.

Source: California Driver's Handbook, Section 6, Navigating the Roads; Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 5, Signals, Signs, and Markers, p. 25; Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Chapter 6, Traffic Controls (p. 51); New York State Driver's Manual, Chapter 4, Traffic Control; Illinois Rules of the Road, Chapter 4, Traffic Laws; Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), Chapter 2, Signals; Ohio Driver Manual, Digest of Motor Vehicle Laws, Ohio Revised Code 4511.13; Georgia Drivers' Manual, Section 5: Traffic Laws, Laws Governing Right-of-Way; Virginia Driver's Manual (DMV 39), Section 2: Traffic Signals (pp. 5-6); Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Chapter 4, p. 81; Maryland Driver's Manual, Section 4.A, p. 17; Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook 2026, Section 5.A Traffic Signals, p. 32; Minnesota Driver's Manual, Chapter 5, Traffic-control signals, p. 66; Chapter 3, Turning on a red light, pp. 28, 30; Alabama Driver Manual, Chapter 6, Traffic Laws, Stopping, PDF pp. 62-63; Louisiana Class D & E Driver's Guide, Chapter 3, Signs, Traffic Lights, and Pavement Markings, Traffic Signals, Steady Red, PDF p. 39; Kentucky Driver Manual, Section Six, Traffic Signals, PDF p. 43; South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 56, Chapter 5, § 56-5-970(C)(3); Colorado Driver Handbook (DR 2337), Traffic Signals, Steady red light, printed p. 7 (PDF p. 10); Oklahoma Driver Manual, Chapter 4, Traffic Signals, p. 26; 21 Del. C. § 4108, 21 Del. C. § 4108(a)(3)b); Montana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100, revised April 2024), Chapter 4, Intersections, PDF p. 50; 23 V.S.A. § 1022, 23 V.S.A. § 1022(a)(3)(B); Wyoming Statutes Title 31, W.S. 31-5-403(a)(iii)(C), W.S. 31-5-403(a)(iii)(C)

Take this topic's test

More New York practice

About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (Undated PDF, file created 2026-04-20; copyright line reads 2018 edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the New York State DMV, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.