MUTCD R3-5L · Regulatory signs
Traffic in this lane must turn left
What it means
Traffic in this lane must turn left
What to do about it
A Mandatory Movement Lane Control sign shows the single movement required from the lane and carries the word ONLY. (MUTCD R3-5, Section 2B.28.)
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.
- R3-5cP Plaque used when the mandatory movement applies to a lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles. A diamond symbol may replace the word HOV
- R3-5dP Plaque used when the lane is exclusively designated for taxis
- R3-5fP Plaque identifying that the lane control sign above applies to the right lane
- R3-5gP The lane is exclusively designated for buses
- R3-5R Overhead sign: traffic in this lane must turn right
- R3-6a Both U-turns and left turns are permitted from this lane
