The NJ Marked-Turning-Course Statute
N.J.S.A. 39:4-124, explained.
The 3-point charge for not following the arrows. It is a separate offence from ordinary improper turning, and it rests entirely on markings that were — or were not — installed by the authority responsible for that road. Points verified August 2026.
What the Statute Says
A power to override, and a duty to obey
39:4-124 does two things in a single short paragraph. First it gives the State Highway Commissioner and local authorities the power, on roads under their own jurisdiction, to modify the method of turning set out in 39:4-123 by clearly indicating the course a turning vehicle must follow — using buttons, markers, or other direction signs placed within the intersection. Then it adds the duty: no driver shall fail to turn in the manner so directed when those signs have been installed by that authority.
So the offence is not "turning badly". It is turning in a way that departs from markings someone with authority put there. That distinction is the whole character of the section.
Two Statutes, Same Points
39:4-124 next to 39:4-123
These two sit next to each other in the statute book, carry 3 points each, and are easy to confuse. They are not the same charge:
| 39:4-123 | 39:4-124 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it supplies | The default method for right and left turns | The power to replace that default with markings |
| What the State must show | Your turn departed from the statutory method | Markings were installed by the authority, and your turn departed from them |
| MVC points | 3 | 3 |
If your summons cites 39:4-124, the intersection's markings are the case. Our guide to the default rules lives on the 39:4-123 page.
Points & Cost
What a conviction carries
Three points on the MVC schedule — the same as 39:4-123. The section writes no penalty of its own, so the court fine comes from the Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule, which lists this offence at $86 — $141 in a Safe Corridor or construction zone.
Three points is half of the 6 points within three years that starts the MVC surcharge — $150 a year for three years, plus $25 for each point beyond six — and it is visible to insurers on the abstract afterwards. See the full points list for where every violation sits.
None of that guarantees a result, and this page does not suggest one. It does mean a 39:4-124 summons is worth reading against the section it actually charges.
Common Questions
39:4-124 questions we hear
How many points is 39:4-124 in NJ?
Three. The MVC point schedule lists 39:4-124, improper turn from an approved turning course, at 3 points — the same value as the ordinary improper-turn statute, 39:4-123.
What is the difference between 39:4-123 and 39:4-124?
They look similar on a summons and they carry the same 3 points, but they prohibit different things. 39:4-123 sets the default method for making a right or left turn. 39:4-124 is the section that lets the State Highway Commissioner or a local authority replace that default at a particular intersection using buttons, markers or direction signs — and makes failing to follow those markings the offence. Under 39:4-124 the State is relying on physical markings that either were installed, and said what it claims, or were not.
What counts as a marked turning course?
The statute names buttons, markers, or other direction signs placed within the intersection to indicate the course a turning vehicle must follow. In modern practice that usually means painted turn channels and arrows. The wording matters in two ways: the marking has to be within the intersection, and it has to have been installed by the authority with jurisdiction over that road.
Does it matter who installed the markings?
The statute says so directly. The obligation attaches when the direction signs are installed by the State Highway Commissioner or the local authority with jurisdiction over that highway. That is an element of the offence rather than background detail, and like any element it can be examined rather than assumed.
Ticketed under 39:4-124?
Tell us the intersection and the town. What is painted on the road is the case, and you will hear our read and a flat fee before deciding anything.
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Legal information on this page reviewed August 2026 against current New Jersey statutes and official schedules — the NJ MVC points schedule and the NJ Courts Statewide Violations Bureau schedule. Laws change; nothing here is legal advice for your specific case.