Need Advice On Highway Left Turns (4 Lane Divided).

Hey everyone! I passed my written exam! Now is pretrip and backing, Followed by the road test. I can manage pretrip and backing, but the road test has me worried. Its in the middle of the city where most roads are four-lane divided high ways.

My biggest fear? Coming up to a four lane high way from a two lane road and having to make a left turn while crossing both traffic. Keep in mind, There is no turning/merge lane. Its just a straight up cross both lanes of oncoming, Then merge into another lane of the right side.

With this being said, How do you know when its safe to do so? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. This is for the ROAD portion of the test.

It takes a good 12 - 15 seconds to make a turn like that. Wait until you have plenty of clearance from ongoing traffic to make a turn like that.

It takes a good 12 - 15 seconds to make a turn like that. Wait until you have plenty of clearance from ongoing traffic to make a turn like that.

Got it. What happens if you don't have 12 to 15 seconds of visibility? Say.. 5-8 seconds of visibility? Do you just gun it as soon as its clear? And thank you for the information.

Are you sure you are going to encounter this scenario?

I'm not sure about the wisdom of gunning it and go during a road test. I'd think they want to see you being smooth and under control. Accelerate smoothly and make your way to your chosen lane. If someone starts coming after you've committed they can move over to the next lane.

You also want to make sure you don't stop in the middle of the turn and block traffic. In many cases, stopping on a "right of way" (road) is an INSTANT FAIL.

Obviously - you don't want to cause an accident by continuing into the turn, if you misread traffic speeds and end up "in a crowd".

The best answer would be to wait until you are SURE you can completely execute the turn safely (no cross traffic), than jump in and have some 4-wheeler that's speeding, force you into making hasty moves to prevent a collision.

Rick

Are you sure you are going to encounter this scenario?

I'm not sure about the wisdom of gunning it and go during a road test. I'd think they want to see you being smooth and under control. Accelerate smoothly and make your way to your chosen lane. If someone starts coming after you've committed they can move over to the next lane.

Yes. Exit out of the school is right on a hill that curves around some thick woods. It's about 6 seconds of visibility tops. While it's not super busy, there is the what if aspect of it.

You also want to make sure you don't stop in the middle of the turn and block traffic. In many cases, stopping on a "right of way" (road) is an INSTANT FAIL.

Obviously - you don't want to cause an accident by continuing into the turn, if you misread traffic speeds and end up "in a crowd".

The best answer would be to wait until you are SURE you can completely execute the turn safely (no cross traffic), than jump in and have some 4-wheeler that's speeding, force you into making hasty moves to prevent a collision.

Rick

Got it. So effectively just never go unless you are 100% sure the turn can be made. Thanks for the information.