How To Do A Turn In The Road

The advice given on this page has been written by fully qualified Driving Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructors (DSA ADIs) and is intended only for UK drivers and those taking the UK Practical Driving Test.

Please be aware that road traffic legislation and what is considered good driving practice varies throughout the world!

Let's start with a very quick summarised list of what's required for the turn in the road manoeuvre. I'll be expanding on this list and explaining each step in more detail further down the page, but you may find it helpful to use this list as a memory jogger (aide memoire) - you could even copy it and print it out!

For those who prefer instructions given visually, there are some tutorial videos further down the page - some with an audio commentary for those who like to listen to what they need to do!

TURN IN THE ROAD (THREE POINT TURN)
1. 1st gear, find the bite
2. Full observation - left to right
3. Handbrake off
4. Full right lock as quickly as possible
5. As you approach the far kerb, straighten wheel and stop
6. Handbrake on
7. Reverse gear, find the bite
8. Full observation - right to left
9. Handbrake off
10. Full left lock as quickly as possible (looking over left shoulder)
11. Look over right shoulder once you have full lock
12. As you approach the kerb, straighten the wheel and stop
13. Handbrake on
14. 1st gear, find the bite
15. Full observation - left to right
16. Handbrake off
17. Turn to the right to the normal driving position

On your driving test, the examiner will ask you to stop on the left several times - sometimes this will be prior to asking you to perform one of the manoeuvres and sometimes it will be to test your judgement in selecting a safe and suitable place to stop and your control and observation when moving off again. During your driving lessons your driving instructor will be able to help you gain experience in selecting suitable places to stop, but in general you need to be looking for a safe place , where there is good visibility, plenty of room and where there are no obstructions on the road (e.g. parked vehicles, rubbish skips etc nearby) or on the pavement (e.g. lamp posts, post boxes, rubbish bins etc). You must also make sure that you are not obstructing other road users by parking across roads, driveways, opposite entrances etc.

When you have stopped, the examiner will ask you to turn the car around in the road to face the opposite direction using forward and reverse gears.

Prepare to move off by depressing the clutch, selecting first gear, setting the gas and finding the biting point.

You must now OBSERVE thoroughly all around you - check your drivers mirror (rear view mirror), both door mirrors, look over your right shoulder to check your blind spot, check in front of the car and lastly check your drivers mirror again. If there is oncoming traffic from either direction, or pedestrians who may be crossing the road (or about to cross it), then wait.

Release the handbrake and using clutch control (balancing the clutch and the gas to move the car at a low speed), start to move forwards SLOWLY whilst turning the steering wheel QUICKLY to the RIGHT. Get the steering wheel onto full right lock as soon as you can, so that ideally the car should end up at a right angle across the road.

You must be looking and listening for other road users throughout the manoeuvre and be prepared to stop and let them proceed if necessary.

As you approach the kerb on the opposite side of the road (about 1 metre away), turn the steering wheel briskly to the LEFT. As the front wheels get near to the kerb, put the clutch right down and use your footbrake to stop.

Apply the handbrake.

Prepare to move off again by pressing the clutch down, selecting REVERSE gear, setting the gas and finding the biting point.

OBSERVE again to make sure the way is clear in all directions and look over your left shoulder before you begin to reverse. If clear release your handbrake.

As the car starts to move, turn the steering wheel as far to the LEFT as it will go.

As before, constantly check for other road users and be prepared to stop if needed.

When you are about half-way across the road, change to looking over your right shoulder so that you can see the kerb as you get nearer to it.

As you approach the kerb on the opposite side of the road (about 1 metre away), turn the steering wheel briskly to the RIGHT. As the front wheels get near to the kerb, put the clutch right down and use your footbrake to stop.

Apply the handbrake.

Prepare to move off again by pressing the clutch down, selecting FIRST gear, setting the gas and finding the biting point.

OBSERVE again to make sure the way is clear in all directions. If clear release your handbrake.

Drive slowly forward, turning the wheel to the right if necessary to straighten up on the left hand side of the road, then once straight proceed as normal.

It's sometimes easier to actually see something done, rather than just read a set of instructions!

The following videos will give you visual instructions to help you learn how to do the turn in the road manoeuvre.

All the videos are presented in a different format - two are animated and two are "real-life" driving lessons presented by a fully qualified DSA Approved Driving Instructor.

Poor co-ordination of controls
Mounting the pavement or kerb
Stalling
Turning the wheel the wrong way
Taking an excessively long time to complete the manoeuvre
No blind spot checks
Not looking to the left or right before reversing or pulling forwards
Not looking directly behind
Not reacting to passing or approaching vehicles
Not reacting to pedestrians
Waiting unnecessarily for other road users

The Official DSA Guide to Driving:
the essential skills

Driving Test Success ALL Tests 2008/09 Edition
(PC)

Driving Test Success ALL TESTS 2008/09 Interactive DVD