NRS 484B.250 governs right turns at Nevada intersections. A driver turning right who faces no stop sign must still yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, yield to vehicles lawfully within the intersection, and obey any traffic-control device; the absence of a stop sign removes only the full-stop requirement, not the duty to yield. The statute's operative test is whether the turn can be made with reasonable safety, and that duty attaches the moment the driver enters the turn.
This explainer unpacks the statutory mechanism, the yield hierarchy, the situations that trip drivers up, and the concrete steps that satisfy the law. It treats the statute as it is written and flags where interpretation, not text, does the work.
The statutory mechanism
NRS 484B.250 is a right-turn statute, not a stop statute. It regulates the turn itself: the approach position, the yield obligations, and the signals that must accompany the maneuver. A stop sign, when present, comes from a different provision and a different command. The two rules operate side by side, and conflating them is the most common reading error.
The core structure is a conditional duty. The driver must make the turn "as close as practicable" to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. The driver must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian in the crosswalk and to any vehicle approaching closely enough to constitute an immediate hazard. The driver must signal continuously for at least the last 100 feet before the turn. These are three separate obligations, and a driver can satisfy one while failing another.
The yield language is the load-bearing clause. It is not a suggestion to be careful. It is an assignment of responsibility: the turning driver bears the duty to avoid conflict, and the through traffic and pedestrians hold the right-of-way. Nevada's right-of-way statutes consistently place the burden on the driver whose path crosses another's.
Plain language: the statute says the turner must wait for anyone who already has the right to be there.
The "immediate hazard" standard is objective. It asks what a reasonable driver in the turning position would perceive given speed, distance, and sight lines. A vehicle 200 feet away at 25 mph is not an immediate hazard; a vehicle 60 feet away at 45 mph likely is. The statute does not define the distances because the answer depends on closing speed, not a fixed number.
The yield hierarchy and what each layer requires
The statute creates a sequence, and each layer has its own trigger.
Pedestrians in the crosswalk come first. The duty is absolute as to a pedestrian lawfully within the marked or unmarked crosswalk the turn crosses. A driver who has no stop sign still must stop if a pedestrian is in that crosswalk. This is the layer drivers miss when they treat a sign-free corner as a free-flow corner.
Vehicles lawfully within the intersection come second. A driver already in the intersection on a green or after a lawful entry holds priority over a turner waiting to enter. The turner waits.
Approaching through traffic comes third. The turner yields to vehicles approaching closely enough to be an immediate hazard. This is the judgment call the statute delegates to the driver.
Traffic-control devices come fourth but override all. If a signal, sign, or pavement marking directs the turn, that direction controls. A green arrow, a "No Turn on Red" placard, or a channelizing island changes the analysis entirely, and the statute's baseline yield rule yields to the device.
| Situation at the corner | Stop required? | Primary yield duty | Controlling authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| No sign, no signal, marked crosswalk | No full stop unless pedestrian present | Pedestrians, then immediate-hazard traffic | NRS 484B.250 baseline |
| Stop sign present | Yes, full stop | All cross traffic, then pedestrians | Stop-sign statute plus 484B.250 |
| Red signal, right turn permitted | Yes, full stop | Pedestrians, then through traffic | Signal statutes |
| Green arrow for right turn | No, protected | None to conflicting traffic | Signal statutes |
| Flashing yellow arrow | No, permissive | Oncoming traffic and pedestrians | Signal statutes |
| "No Turn on Red" posted | Turn prohibited on red | Not applicable | Posted device |
The counterintuitive detail: a sign-free corner is not a lower-duty corner. Removing the stop sign removes a pause, not a priority. The turner at an uncontrolled corner carries the same yield burden as a turner at a stop sign, executed without the built-in pause that a stop sign forces.
Edge cases that change the analysis
Unmarked crosswalks exist at most intersections even where no paint appears. The statute's pedestrian duty attaches to the crosswalk, not to the paint. A driver who sees no stripes and rolls through a corner where a pedestrian is crossing legally has still failed the yield duty.
Bike lanes complicate the approach position. A right turn across a bike lane requires the turner to merge into or yield across the lane, and a cyclist proceeding straight holds priority. The "as close as practicable to the right curb" instruction does not authorize cutting across a cyclist's path.
Roundabouts are not covered by the ordinary right-turn analysis. A right turn at a roundabout is a lane choice and an exit, not a crossing turn, and different statutes and signage control.
Driveways and private roads are not intersections under the statute's ordinary meaning in many applications, but a driveway apron that meets a public road can still trigger crosswalk and yield duties. The safe reading treats any pedestrian path across the turn as protected.
Right turn on red after a full stop is where sign-free and signal-controlled corners diverge most sharply. The red-light turner must stop first, then yield to pedestrians and traffic before proceeding. A driver who treats the red as a yield sign has skipped the stop the signal statute requires.
The professional caveat: Nevada courts read right-of-way statutes together, not in isolation. A driver can comply with 484B.250's yield clause and still violate a separate careless-driving or signal provision. Compliance is cumulative, and the turn is judged against every applicable rule at once.
Misconceptions worth correcting
The most persistent myth is that no stop sign means no obligation. The statute imposes yield duties independent of any sign. The sign-free corner is a yield corner, not a free corner.
The second myth is that a rolling slowdown satisfies the law at a signal-controlled corner. Where a red signal applies, the statute and the signal statute require a full stop before the turn. Rolling through is a violation even if no one is coming.
The third myth is that pedestrians must be out of the entire roadway before the turn may proceed. The duty runs to the crosswalk the turn crosses. A pedestrian who has cleared the turner's path but remains in a farther lane does not necessarily block the turn, though prudence and local practice favor waiting.
The fourth myth is that a turn signal is optional when no other car is visible. The 100-foot signal requirement is unconditional. It is a signaling duty, not a courtesy.
Red flag: rolling through a sign-free corner at speed because "no one was there." Red flag: turning across a crosswalk while a pedestrian is stepping into it. Red flag: treating a red signal as a yield at a right-turn-on-red corner. Red flag: cutting across a bike lane without checking for a cyclist going straight. Red flag: assuming an unmarked crosswalk does not count.
Plain language: each of these is a failure of a specific duty, not a general matter of caution.
How the turn is actually executed
The statute describes an outcome, and the driver's job is to produce it through a repeatable procedure. The procedure below reconciles the signal requirement, the approach position, and the yield sequence into one pass.
| Phase | Action | Threshold or check | Governing duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Signal | Activate right turn signal | At least 100 feet before turn | Signal requirement |
| 2. Position | Move as close as practicable to right curb or edge | Before entering the turn | Approach position |
| 3. Scan crosswalk | Check near and far sides of the crosswalk | Pedestrian anywhere in path | Pedestrian yield |
| 4. Scan traffic | Check oncoming and cross traffic | Immediate-hazard judgment | Traffic yield |
| 5. Check devices | Confirm no sign or signal forbids the turn | Posted device controls | Device obedience |
| 6. Execute | Complete turn into correct lane | Maintain lane discipline | Turn execution |
The signal threshold and the yield threshold are different clocks. The signal must begin 100 feet out; the yield judgment happens at the corner. Reconcile them by signaling early and deciding late. A driver who signals at 30 feet has already failed one duty regardless of how clean the turn looks.
For the practical driver, the operative checklist is short. Signal before the 100-foot mark. Slow enough to stop for a pedestrian. Look left, then right, then left again for approaching traffic. Confirm no posted restriction. Turn into the nearest lawful lane. Each step maps to a statutory obligation, and skipping any one leaves the turn legally incomplete.
The dangerous half-second is the transition from the scan to the turn. A driver who has checked the crosswalk and traffic and found both clear still must re-check as the front bumper crosses the pedestrian path. Conditions change in the two seconds a turn takes, and the yield duty is continuous, not a single check.
Limits, enforcement, and liability exposure
The statute sets a standard, not a scoring rubric. "Reasonable safety" and "immediate hazard" are jury questions when a crash occurs, and the answers depend on evidence a driver cannot control after the fact. That is the strongest practical argument for conservative driving at sign-free corners: the legal test is applied in hindsight by people who were not there.
Nevada's comparative fault framework means a turning driver's failure to yield does not automatically resolve a civil case. Fault can be apportioned, and a through driver's own negligence can reduce recovery. But the yield duty still shapes who bears the initial burden of explanation after a collision.
Criminal exposure is separate from civil exposure. A right-turn violation can support a moving violation citation, and a crash involving injury can escalate beyond a traffic infraction. The statute itself does not set penalties; enforcement provisions and municipal codes supply them, and they vary by jurisdiction.
The honest limitation is that this explainer cannot tell any driver what a specific corner requires. Signage, signals, pavement markings, and local ordinances modify the baseline rule, and those facts are local. The statute supplies the framework; the corner supplies the facts.
The final reconciliation: the 100-foot signal rule, the crosswalk yield, the immediate-hazard yield, and the device-obedience rule are cumulative, not alternative. Satisfying the signal requirement does not discharge the yield duty, and yielding to traffic does not excuse a missed pedestrian. The turn is lawful only when every layer is satisfied at once.
This article is general educational information about Nevada traffic law, not a legal opinion or advice about any specific incident or intersection. It does not promise any outcome in a citation, insurance, or civil matter. Consult a licensed Nevada attorney or your local DMV for guidance on your situation; for immediate danger, call local emergency services.