Your exam
20 questions. 14 correct to pass — and separately, at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions must be correct. Getting 14 overall while missing three sign questions still fails.
Speed limits
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Nothing posted, anywhere in the state | 55 mph |
| New York City, unless posted otherwise | 25 mph |
| Inside a roundabout | 30 mph or less |
| Work zones | as low as 25 mph, fines doubled |
Alcohol — four thresholds, not one
| BAC | Offence |
|---|---|
| .02 to .07, driver under 21 | Zero Tolerance |
| more than .05, up to .07 | DWAI — driving while ability impaired |
| .08 or more | DWI |
| .18 or more | Aggravated DWI |
The belief that .08 is a line below which nothing is an offence is wrong in New York: DWAI starts above .05. Note also that the aggravated threshold is .18, higher than the .15 most states use.
Refuse a chemical test and your licence is suspended when you are arraigned. The DMV hearing runs on its own track and can revoke your licence even if the court finds you not guilty.
New York City is different
| Rest of the state | New York City | |
|---|---|---|
| Right turn on red | allowed after a full stop and yield | prohibited unless a sign permits it |
| Default speed limit | 55 where nothing is posted | 25 |
This reversal is the single most consequential difference on the test.
Turning
- 100 feet — signal at least this far ahead of a turn or lane change.
- Left on red is permitted only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after stopping and yielding. Never onto a two-way street.
- A U-turn must start from the left portion of the lane nearest the centre line — never from the right lane.
U-turns are prohibited where other drivers cannot see you from 500 feet away, in New York City business districts, in school zones, and on limited-access expressways. Most of those are unsigned: do not wait for a NO U-TURN sign.
Who yields
- Two drivers at right angles arriving together: the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- Turning left against oncoming traffic: the left-turner yields to anything going straight or turning right.
- Leaving a driveway, alley or private road: stop, then yield to traffic and pedestrians.
- Entering a traffic circle or rotary: yield to drivers already in it.
- Pedestrians: yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks alike.
Following distance
Two seconds is the New York baseline — lower than the three seconds several other states teach. Increase it to three or four seconds in bad weather or behind a large truck, and keep at least two seconds in a work zone.
Markings and signals
- Double solid lines: no passing and no lane changes. Both, not just passing.
- Solid on your side, broken on the other: you may not pass; they may.
- Flashing red means exactly what a STOP sign means. It will not turn green.
- Flashing yellow: proceed with caution.
- A green arrow still requires you to yield to anything lawfully in the intersection.