How to Drive in New York City

Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees’ great said, “Nobody drives in New York. There’s too much traffic.”

The Hall of Fame catcher was right. There’s just too much traffic in New York City. That’s good news for traffic courts.

Excessive traffic means congestion which means more traffic citations being handed out.

Most native New Yorkers take subways, taxis, buses, and bicycles to avoid traffic. If you’re an out-of-towner and find yourself in the city, behind the wheel, there are some ‘rules of the road’ you need to know.

No Right Turns on Red

In many states making a right turn on red is ok. New York isn’t one. The only thing to do if you find yourself at a stoplight is wait. Don’t turn right. Ever. For any reason. Just be patient, the light will change eventually.

No Left Turns Between This Hour and That Hour

There are many neighborhoods where you can’t turn left during certain times. Make sure to constantly read the signs; you never know what weird law you may violate by ignoring them.

The Fifteen Feet Rule

Don’t waste time telling the traffic court judge, “I wasn’t near it!” It won’t hold up or get the court’s sympathy. Stay at least fifteen feet away from crosswalks and fire hydrants. It can be difficult to find a parking lot in the city, so if you spot a spot that everyone is passing it’s because they don’t want to get towed. Plan for parking and keep some quarters handy to pay for a space.

Help Limit Traffic Jams in NYC

Some advice is obvious — or should be. Suggestions include getting out of the left lane on expressways and blocking cards by going under the speed limit.

And another piece of advice: Don’t slow down to look at an accident. What do you want to see anyway? Just keep moving.

Often traffic slows since two lanes are narrowing to one. A bottleneck calls for a driving skill called zippering. Call it cutting in and cheating if you want, but get over it. The trick is to maintain speed with less braking.

Vehicles operate need to use both lanes until traffic slows. That is the time to remember something taught in kindergarten — Be nice. Take Turns. Instead of tailgating, leave space so another driver can slide in. Then a car from your lane moves and you let another driver in. And so on.