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Task 27: U-Turn in Traffic
The u-turn in traffic is a u-turn done on a laned road. The vehicle attempting the manoeuvre must give way to all road users and in some cases the u-turn should be abandoned if it will result in confusing other drivers or obstructing traffic in any way. The manoeuvre can be performed at any place a right turn can be executed provided that there is sufficient room at the intersection for the car to complete the turn and there is no "no u-turn" sign prohibiting the manoeuvre. The turn must be started from the right hand lane or the right store lane if there is one available.
It is illegal to do a u-turn from the left hand side of a laned road. Think about it, you have four lanes of traffic to contend with from that position.
This task requires the learner to be able to:
- Choose suitable locations to perform a u-turn
- Competently demonstrate u-turns without having to reverse
- Choose a safe alternative if traffic conditions change to make the manoeuvre unsafe or illegal
U-turn from a right store lane
If there is a right store lane available that is where the vehicle should start the manoeuvre. The vehicle should wait in the right turning position until a gap in the oncoming traffic appears that will allow the manoeuvre to be executed without obstructing traffic. See turning in traffic for details on entering and positioning within the store lane.
When there is a big enough gap in the traffic, move forward in the store lane so that you can make use of as much of the side road as possible for the turn. Then turn quickly to the right and steer the car in a "U" shape, straightening up to face in the opposite direction in the left lane. Maintain control of the car at all times during and exiting from the turn, accelerating off smoothly to match the speed of the traffic in your lane. Check in your rear vision mirror to see how well you judged the gap for future reference.
HINT 1: When preparing for the turn in the right store lane, make sure that there is enough room to complete the manoeuvre, if in doubt just turn right and go around the block. There may be other road paraphernalia that may restrict your car from completing the turn including a median strip or those raised yellow bumps in the middle of the side road.
HINT 2: Check out the area you will be turning in; are there any potholes or is the gutter particularly deep? All of these conditions will affect the speed that you can complete the turn, which determines the size of the gap that is required.
HINT 3: On busy roads picking a gap to do a u-turn can be a daunting task. Don't panic as you are sitting safely in a store lane out of harms way for the moment. The more experience you get the better judgement you will develop. Remember that this manoeuvre requires more time to complete than a right turn and will consequently require a much bigger gap.
U-turn with no store lane
If there is no right store lane provided then the driver can do the u-turn from the right lane, positioning as for a right turn from a laned road. Follow the instructions for doing a u-turn from a right store lane.
When to abandon the u-turn
The driver must give way to all road users when attempting a u-turn. That means if any other road users are preventing from proceeding as they would normally because of the time it takes for a vehicle to do a u-turn then the manoeuvre should be abandoned (eg. the driver should turn right and go around the block).
There are a number of situations that could arise that should result in the u-turn being abandoned including:
- Another vehicle stops behind the u-turning vehicle
- Another vehicle is turning right or left out of the side road that is being used to do the u-turn
- The behaviour of the u-turning vehicle is confusing other road users (it appears to be turning right but it is in an unusual position!)
- If another vehicle is turning left from the side road, the u-turning vehicle may wait until it has completed the left turn before attempting to do the u-turn
Choosing a safe alternative to a u-turn
If the u-turning vehicle must abandon the manoeuvre, the simplest alternative is to turn right and go around the block.
If the u-turning vehicle is hindered while in the process of doing the turn, for example, the driver finds that they can not complete it as quickly as estimated, and there is the possibility that it will obstruct traffic on the laned road, the vehicle can take refuge in the side road in the left lane, ideally so it does not obstruct traffic in that road as well. The driver will now have to do a left turn from the side road to complete the turn.