MUTCD R3-33R · Regulatory signs
Traffic in the right lane must leave at the upcoming exit
What it means
Traffic in the right lane must leave at the upcoming exit
What to do about it
RIGHT LANE MUST EXIT warns that the lane you are in ends at the next exit, so you must either take the exit or move over in time. (MUTCD R3-33, Section 2B.31.)
Practice this on the real test format
Signs are the part of the DMV written test people fail on, because reading them is a skill rather than a fact to memorize. Aprobify drills all 1034 of them, and tells you why each answer is what it is.
Get the appSign designations follow the MUTCD and the California MUTCD published by Caltrans; meanings are checked against the California Driver's Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025). Edited by Fernando Aguilera. Aprobify is not affiliated with the California DMV.
Signs in the same family
These sit next to it in the regulatory signs series — the ones most easily mixed up with it.
- R3-27 No straight through — you must turn
- R3-33aL Vertical version of the left lane must exit sign
- R3-33aR Vertical version of the right lane must exit sign
- R3-33L Traffic in the left lane must leave the freeway at the upcoming exit
- R4-1 Prohibits passing other vehicles
- R4-2 Allows passing but requires caution
