The Important New York City Traffic Law Tourists Should Know Before Hitting The Road

You know what's not fun at all? Driving in New York City. This town is dense, crowded, and impatient. When you're not fighting through gridlock traffic, you're stopping for rivers of pedestrians. Much of the city is laid out in repetitive grids, so you never feel like you're making any progress, while street patterns in Brooklyn often run in confounding diagonals. The two-level Washington Bridge is literally the busiest bridge in the world, carrying more than 100 million cars each year into and out of the city. From Yonkers to Brighton Beach, Jersey City to the Bronx, this city seems designed to frustrate motorists. It's certainly possible to navigate these streets in a car, but there are many things you need to know before driving in New York City.

Here's the kicker: Drivers can't turn right at red lights. This is perfectly legal in the rest of New York State, where you simply pause, yield to oncoming traffic, and ease your way into the intersecting street. Feel free to use this maneuver in Albany or Buffalo, or anywhere in between. Yet such right turns are strictly forbidden in the Big Apple, where you can only turn right when the traffic signal is green or yellow. If you get caught breaking this rule, you could face a fine of $50 to $300 (at the time of writing).

This may sound harsh, but in such congested streets, prohibiting right turns on red helps keep people safe. And it's not just pedestrians — a growing number of New Yorkers are getting around by bicycle, with at least 620,000 trips taken each day. Buses, delivery trucks, and moving vans can obscure your view, especially when they're parked near street corners, so right-turning drivers may not see jaywalkers or couriers on e-bikes until it's too late. New York streets are also filled with distractions — from complicated signs to flashing video billboards — and pausing at a red light helps slow down overwhelmed drivers. This is why many people consider driving a mistake to avoid when visiting New York City for the first time.

There are exceptions to the no-turn-on-red rule. Some signs may indicate that you can turn right on red, as long as you stop and yield first. These rare signs are scattered through the city, and they can come as a relief to commuters who don't like to wait. If you spot one, you're encouraged to take advantage and make that turn.

But if you look around and don't see a sign that explicitly lets you turn, just wait. Even if the intersection is clear, or someone behind you is honking loudly, your best bet is to play it safe. New York is one of the cities with the worst traffic in the U.S. — with a documented history of aggressive driving — and the last thing you want to do is take chances on your vacation. When the light is red, take a breath, and make sure you're in the right lane.