No turn on red sign
A regulatory sign reading NO TURN ON RED. At that intersection, turning while the signal is red is not allowed.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains the sign's standard meaning in the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; it isn't legal advice.
How to read it
In most places a right turn on red is allowed after stopping, where no sign says otherwise, as California's and Florida's handbooks describe. This sign takes that permission away at one intersection. It covers right turns on red, and left turns on red from one one-way street onto another, and it stands near the signal head it applies to. The MUTCD has a symbol version (R10-11), with a red signal ball, and word versions (R10-11a and R10-11b).
Why one is posted
The MUTCD lists the conditions under which an engineering study might call for one, among them poor sight distance to approaching vehicles, an exclusive pedestrian phase, and more than three right-turn-on-red crashes reported in 12 months on that approach.
More road signs
Sources
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 2B: Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates, MUTCD 2009, Part 2, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 2B.54
- Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, p. 12
- California Driver's Handbook, Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Traffic Control
- Official Florida Driver License Handbook, rev. 08/2023, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, p. 52
Last reviewed September 25, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research