DriveTest Canada

Regulatory signs

What does the no right turn sign mean?

The no right turn sign is a regulatory sign. Right turns are not allowed here. Continue straight or turn left instead. A right turn here is not allowed, including on a red light unless another sign says otherwise. It is tested in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia practice banks on this site, where 10 questions ask about it, and the ones on this page carry the answer and the authority behind it.
Regulatory signs10 practice questionsTested in 6 provinces
No right turn
The no right turn sign, drawn by us to the standard shape and colours rather than traced from any official artwork.

What it means

Right turns are not allowed here.

What to do when you see it

Continue straight or turn left instead. A right turn here is not allowed, including on a red light unless another sign says otherwise.

How to recognise a regulatory sign

Most are white with black text or a black symbol, or plain white with a red border. Two shapes are used for exactly one meaning each and nothing else: the eight sided red stop sign and the downward pointing red triangle yield sign, so you can still read them by outline alone in poor light. A red circle with a diagonal red bar always means the thing inside the circle is not allowed.

A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

What the test asks about this sign

10 questions in our banks show this sign and ask what it requires. Here are 6, each with the answer marked and the authority it rests on.

OntarioG1 test

This sign is posted at an intersection where you had planned to turn right on a red light. What does it mean for you?

You may not turn right here at all, on any signal

The sign removes the right turn from this intersection completely, so the colour of the light makes no difference to it. Bans like this usually protect a crossing, a bike lane or a sightline that the turning driver cannot judge from the stop line.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)
British ColumbiaICBC knowledge test

The light ahead of you is red and this sign is mounted beside it. What does it mean for the right turn you planned?

You may not turn right here at any time

A right turn on a red light is normally allowed after a full stop, and this sign takes that permission away. It also bans the turn on a green light, because the reason for the sign is usually a busy crosswalk or a cycle lane that turning traffic would cut across.

Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)
AlbertaClass 7 learner's test

You are first in line at a red light with this sign beside the signal. You have stopped completely and the way is clear. May you turn right?

No, the turn is not permitted here, on a red light or a green one

A right turn on a red light is only ever allowed where nothing prohibits the turn, and this sign is exactly that prohibition. It bans the movement itself, so waiting for the green does not help either. Signs like this go up where the turn would cross a busy crosswalk or feed into a lane with a poor sightline.

Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)
QuebecSAAQ knowledge test

You are stopped at a red light and this sign is posted beside the signal head. What does it change about your options?

You may not make that right turn at all, on any signal

This sign bans the movement itself, not just the turn on a red. A green light gives permission to proceed where turns are allowed, and it never overrides a sign that forbids one. If that was the turn you needed, go straight on and come back around.

Highway Safety Code (Quebec)
ManitobaMPI knowledge test

A right turn would shorten your trip through Winnipeg, but this sign is beside the signal. What should you do?

Use another legal route instead of turning right here

The posted sign prohibits the right turn at this location. A green light still does not authorize a movement the sign forbids.

The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia learners test

You need the street to your right in downtown Halifax, but this sign faces your approach. What should you do?

Continue and find a lawful route

The sign prohibits a right turn at this junction. Waiting for a different signal phase does not make the prohibited turn lawful.

Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia)

The other 4 sit in the signs drills, which ask sign questions on their own with the reason for every answer.

Questions people ask

What does the no right turn sign mean?

Right turns are not allowed here. Continue straight or turn left instead. A right turn here is not allowed, including on a red light unless another sign says otherwise.

What kind of sign is the no right turn sign?

It is a regulatory sign. A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

Which provinces test the no right turn sign?

It appears in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia practice banks on this site: 2 in Ontario, 3 in British Columbia, 1 in Alberta, 2 in Quebec, 1 in Manitoba, 1 in Nova Scotia. Every question is original prose citing Highway Traffic Act (Ontario), Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia), Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta), Highway Safety Code (Quebec), The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60 and Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia).

Sources for this page

The meaning and the action are the standard ones taught across Canada. Each question above cites the law or the guide it rests on, and the exam facts on the province pages come from the records below.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)Highway Safety Code (Quebec)The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia)