Turning left across oncoming traffic is one of the riskiest everyday things a driver does. You have to judge the speed and distance of cars coming toward you, watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk you're turning into, and commit to the turn at the right moment. A large share of serious intersection crashes involve a left-turning driver and an oncoming vehicle, which is why examiners pay close attention to how you handle left turns.
This article covers who has the right-of-way, the different kinds of left-turn signals, how to judge a safe gap, and the habits that keep you safe while you wait.
The basic rule: left turns yield
When you're turning left and there's no green arrow, you must yield to oncoming traffic that's going straight or turning right, and to pedestrians crossing the road you're turning into. In practice, that means you wait until there's a gap big enough to complete your turn without making anyone slow down.
It doesn't matter if you got to the intersection first or if your light is green. A green light means you're allowed to go once it's safe. It doesn't mean oncoming traffic has to stop for you.
Kinds of left-turn signals
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| Solid green arrow | Protected turn. Oncoming traffic has a red light. You can turn, still watching for pedestrians and red-light runners. |
| Solid green ball | Permissive turn. You may turn left, but you must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. |
| Flashing yellow arrow | Permissive turn. Same as a green ball for left turns: go only after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. |
| Solid yellow arrow | The protected turn is ending. Stop if you safely can, or finish the turn if you're already in the intersection. |
| Solid red arrow | Stop. Don't turn left until the arrow changes. |
Signal designs vary between states and countries, so check your handbook for local rules, such as whether a left turn on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street is allowed.
How to make a left turn at a light
- Signal and get into position early. Move into the left-most lane, or the left-turn lane, well before the intersection, and signal.
- Pull forward if your light is green. If the light is green and you're waiting for oncoming traffic, many handbooks tell you to pull forward into the intersection, near the center, so you're ready to turn when a gap comes. This also lets the car behind you pull up to the line. Check your local rules on this.
- Keep your wheels straight. This is important. While you wait, keep the steering wheel pointed straight ahead, not turned left. If someone hits you from behind, straight wheels push you forward. Turned wheels would push you into oncoming traffic.
- Judge the gap. Watch oncoming traffic and wait for a gap you're confident about. Check the crosswalk you'll be turning into too.
- Turn into the correct lane. Turn left into the nearest lane going your direction, usually the left lane of the new road, unless signs or markings say otherwise. Don't cut the corner or swing wide.
Judging a safe gap
The hard part of a left turn is deciding when to go. Some guidelines help:
- Think in time, not distance. Ask how many seconds it will take the oncoming car to reach the intersection. Many drivers use a minimum of several seconds. The faster traffic is going, the more distance you need.
- Allow for your car. You need time to accelerate from a stop and clear the oncoming lanes completely. A bigger vehicle, a wet road or a steep uphill all take extra time.
- Watch for hidden traffic. A large oncoming vehicle, like a truck or a car also turning left, can block your view of a car beside it. If you can't see the lane, don't go.
- Don't be pressured. If someone behind you honks, let them. A wrong decision here costs far more than a few seconds of someone else's patience.
If the light turns yellow and then red while you're waiting in the intersection, finish your turn once oncoming traffic has stopped. You're allowed to clear the intersection. Just make sure the oncoming cars really are stopping.
Right-of-way at stop signs
Left turns at stop signs follow similar rules. At a two-way stop, where only you have the sign, you yield to all cross traffic and oncoming traffic before turning. At a four-way stop, most places use these rules:
- The first vehicle to come to a complete stop goes first.
- If two vehicles stop at the same time, the one on the left yields to the one on the right.
- If two vehicles facing each other stop at the same time, and one is turning left, the vehicle going straight or turning right goes first.
Right-of-way rules say who should yield, but they don't guarantee anyone will. Make eye contact, watch what other drivers actually do, and be ready to wait even if it's technically your turn.
Pedestrians and cyclists
When you turn left, you're crossing a crosswalk on the far side of the intersection, and the people in it may be crossing with their own walk signal. Drivers focused on finding a gap in oncoming traffic often look straight past them. Before you start the turn, look at the crosswalk you're turning into. Also watch for cyclists coming straight through from the opposite direction, which can be harder to spot than cars.
Right turns
Right turns are usually easier, but they have rules too. Stay close to the right side of the road, signal, slow down before the turn, and turn into the nearest right lane. Look for pedestrians and for cyclists coming up on your right. Where turning right on red is allowed, you must come to a full stop first and yield to everyone else, including pedestrians.
Practicing in The Driver Tester
The Driver Tester's Turns in Traffic scenario puts you at a signal-controlled intersection with oncoming traffic. Each completed left turn earns 40 points, plus up to 20 for ending up straight on the new road, up to 20 for ending up in the correct lane, and up to 20 for the gap you left to oncoming traffic. A gap of three seconds or more earns full marks, and 1.5 seconds or more earns half. Entering on red costs 15 points, and a collision with oncoming traffic costs 40 and sends you back to the start.
It's a good place to practice the habits that are hard to build on a real road: pulling forward with your wheels straight, waiting patiently for a real gap, and resisting the urge to go just because you've been waiting a while.