Signs, signals and markings in New York

By the end of this topic you can

• You can identify sign types by color and shape.
• You can explain what each traffic light and arrow means.
• You can read lane control lights over a highway.
• You can explain each kind of center and lane line.
• You can stop in the right place at stop lines and crosswalks.

What you need to know and understand

• Regulation signs are usually white rectangles; STOP is a red octagon; YIELD is a red and white triangle.
• Warning signs are yellow diamonds; work area signs are orange.
• Destination signs are green; service signs are blue.
• A traffic light that is out or not working means you must stop as at a STOP sign.
• Yellow lines separate opposite directions; white lines separate lanes going the same way.
• Police officers, flaggers, school crossing guards and school bus drivers can direct traffic, and their signals come first.

Sign colors and shapes

• Red octagon, STOP: stop fully at the stop line, or before the crosswalk, or where you can see cross traffic.
• Red and white triangle, YIELD: slow down and stop if needed to let traffic and pedestrians go first.
• White rectangle: a rule such as a speed limit or turn restriction. A red circle with a slash means that action is not allowed.
• Yellow diamond: a warning of a hazard ahead, sometimes with an advisory speed plate.
• Orange: road work; obey flaggers and reduced limits.
• Green: directions and distances. Blue: services such as gas, food and hospitals.
• Round yellow sign with an X and RR: railroad crossing ahead.

Lights and arrows

Steady red means stop. Flashing red means treat it like a STOP sign. Steady yellow means the light is about to turn red, so prepare to stop. Flashing yellow means go ahead with caution. Steady green means go, but still yield as the right-of-way rules require. A green arrow lets you go in that direction while yielding as needed; a yellow arrow means that protection is ending; a red arrow means do not turn, not even on red.

Above some highways, lane control lights tell you which lanes are open: a steady red X means do not drive in this lane, a steady yellow X means leave this lane, a flashing yellow X means the lane is only for left turns, and a green arrow means you may use the lane.

Lines on the road

• One broken line: you may pass or change lanes when safe.
• Solid line next to a broken line: you may pass only from the broken-line side; from the solid side you may cross only to turn left into a driveway.
• Double solid lines: no passing or lane changes; cross only to turn left into or out of a driveway or road.
• Single solid line: change lanes only when obstructions or conditions make it necessary.
• Edge lines: do not drive across them unless an officer or sign tells you to. An edge line angling inward means the road narrows.
• Diamond symbol: a reserved lane for buses, HOV or bicycles at the times shown.

Where to stop

When a sign or light makes you stop, stop before the stop line. If there is no stop line, stop before the crosswalk. If there is neither, stop where you can see cross traffic before entering the intersection. For more sign practice, see our 20-question New York permit test guide.

Common mistakes

• Treating a dark, broken traffic light as a green. It is a STOP sign.
• Turning right on a red arrow. A red arrow never allows a turn.
• Crossing a double solid yellow line to pass a slow car.
• Stopping on top of the crosswalk instead of before it.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in New York

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• NY Permit Test
• NY Senior License at 17
• How to Get a Driver’s License in NY