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Minnesota driving lesson · Traffic Laws & Vehicle Operation

Turning on red, roundabouts and multiple turn lanes

A 3-minute lesson from the Minnesota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Traffic Laws & Vehicle Operation
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
31, 33, 61, 69

Some intersections let you turn on red, and roundabouts replace stop signs with one-way circulation. Both work the same way: stop or slow, yield, then go when it's clear.

Right turn on red

  • Be in the correct lane and come to a complete stop
  • Don't turn if a No Turn on Red sign is posted
  • Check for pedestrians and traffic in all directions
  • Watch for oncoming left-turners — they may get a green arrow before you get green
Handbook p. 31 ↗

Left turn on red (one-way street onto one-way street only)

  • Come to a complete stop
  • Make sure the intersection is clear
  • Yield to any pedestrians or other vehicles
  • Traffic on the cross street must travel only in the direction you're turning
Handbook p. 69 ↗
No turn on red
No Turn on Red sign: wait for green

Roundabouts are designed to improve traffic flow and are safer than normal four-way stops. Traffic moves counterclockwise around a center island.

Approaching a roundabout

  • Slow down
  • Multi-lane roundabout: choose the correct lane before entering
  • Yield to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the road
  • Watch for signs or markings that require or prohibit certain movements
Handbook p. 33 ↗

Entering and driving in it

  • Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout — wait until traffic from the left clears
  • Drive counterclockwise until you reach your exit
  • Don't stop, pass or change lanes inside
  • If an emergency vehicle approaches, exit immediately, then pull over
Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

At a multilane roundabout, get into the right lane only to turn right and the left lane only to turn left; the sign shows which lanes may go straight.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
Roundabout lane-use sign (left lane / right lane)
Multilane roundabout lane-use sign

Know the rule

A vehicle longer than 40 feet or wider than 10 feet, or any combination vehicle, may leave its lane as needed to get through a roundabout. If two large vehicles go through a multi-lane roundabout together, the driver on the right yields to the vehicle on the left.

Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

Where signs or markings show two or more turn lanes, stay in your lane throughout the turn.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
Multiple turn lanes positioning
Multiple turn lanes: stay in your lane

Put it into practice

You reach a single-lane roundabout as a car circles in from your left. Yield until it passes, then enter and go counterclockwise. If an ambulance appears behind you, keep going to your exit, leave the roundabout, then pull over.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

Before turning right on a red light, what must you do first?
  1. Slow down but you don't need to stop
  2. Wait for a green arrow
  3. Come to a complete stop
  4. Stop only if traffic is coming

Answer: Come to a complete stop

You must come to a complete stop before making a legal right turn on red.

Handbook p. 31 ↗
Before turning left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street, what must you do?
  1. Slow down and yield; no full stop is needed
  2. Wait for green; it is never allowed
  3. Stop, then turn only if a sign allows it
  4. Stop, check it's clear, and yield

Answer: Stop, check it's clear, and yield

You must stop, ensure the intersection is clear, and yield before making this specific type of left turn on red.

Handbook p. 31 ↗
When entering a roundabout, whose traffic must you yield to before entering?
  1. Vehicles already in the roundabout
  2. Only vehicles approaching from the right
  3. Vehicles waiting to enter behind you
  4. Only pedestrians, not other vehicles

Answer: Vehicles already in the roundabout

You must yield to vehicles already circulating in the roundabout before entering.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
Which direction do you travel through a roundabout?
  1. Clockwise
  2. Counterclockwise
  3. Either direction is fine
  4. It depends on the lane you choose

Answer: Counterclockwise

You drive counterclockwise through a roundabout until reaching your exit.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
What should you do if an emergency vehicle approaches while you're inside a roundabout?
  1. Stop immediately inside the roundabout
  2. Speed up to exit before it arrives
  3. Exit the roundabout, then pull over
  4. Pull to the inside edge and stop

Answer: Exit the roundabout, then pull over

You should exit the roundabout first, then pull over for the emergency vehicle, rather than stopping inside it.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
In a multi-lane roundabout, if two large vehicles enter and drive through at the same time, who must yield?
  1. The driver on the left must yield to the vehicle on the right
  2. Both must stop and wait for a gap
  3. Whichever vehicle is slower must yield
  4. The driver on the right must yield to the vehicle on the left

Answer: The driver on the right must yield to the vehicle on the left

When two large vehicles pass through together, the driver on the right yields to the one on the left, slowing or stopping if needed.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
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