Turning Left at Junctions

You are driving on the main road and you wish to turn left into the minor road. The usual procedure for this is once you’ve identified the junction usually by searching for the side road, gaps in between buildings, any street lights in the side road, junction signs or by looking for the give way lines then you should check your interior mirror to see the speed and position of the vehicle behind you and then the left door mirror to see if there are any cyclists on your left. Once it is clear give a left signal, usually around seven car lengths before the turn. Try not to signal too early as other road users may think that you are pulling over and at the same time try not to signal too late as by doing so you are not giving other road users enough time to react to your signal.

Once you have signalled correctly then get into position by moving towards the left, usually around one metre from the left is sufficient. Reduce speed by gently braking, this not only helps reduce your speed but also makes the brake lights appear which confirms to the road user behind you that you are slowing down for the turn. You may need to place the gear into second gear or even first depending on how safe the turn is, most cases second gear is fine. Try to get the gears into place at least three car lengths before the turn so you can now focus on turning.

Now as you are turning left from the main road into the side it is your priority regarding the other traffic on the road so if there is an oncoming car on the main road that wishes to turn into the same road as you and you are both meeting at the same time then it’s your priority, so you’ll need to look ahead and into the main road and when its safe you can start to turn. Generally you won’t need to stop here unless you are going to affect something. For example if you are turning left and there are pedestrians crossing in front of you then reduce speed accordingly and always be prepared to stop for them.

Once you have turned and then straightened up, check your interior mirror and then your right mirror to make sure no one is overtaking you and as soon as it’s safe you can start to accelerate to a safe speed.