A sign that gives orders
No right turn
A red circle with a right-turn arrow crossed through means no right turn - you must not turn right at that junction.
01
What it means
The red ring makes it a prohibition. Right turns get banned where turning across oncoming traffic would be dangerous or would block a busy road - exactly the turns that feel hardest anyway. A mirror-image 'no left turn' version exists, and both are camera-enforceable as moving-traffic contraventions.
The ban applies at the junction where the sign stands - not to the whole road.
02
Where you'll see it
Busy urban junctions, one-way systems, and junctions onto red routes where a right turn would hold up or endanger traffic.
03
On your driving test
Miss the sign and make the turn and it's a serious fault - this is exactly why examiners watch your sign-scanning. If your route needs that turn, carry on and work round the block instead.
Fines and penalties
A banned turn caught on camera is a civil PCN - in London typically £160, halved if paid early; typically £70 outside London. No licence points, but councils enforce these heavily.
Often confused with
Quick answers
What do I do if I needed that right turn?
Carry on and re-route - usually three lefts or the next roundabout brings you back. Never make the banned turn 'quickly'; that's where the camera points.
Is there a no LEFT turn sign too?
Yes - the mirror image, a left arrow crossed through. Both work the same way and both are enforceable.
Sign artwork is Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0; meanings from the Highway Code (gov.uk).
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