The Drivers Ed Company

It is time to look at turning right from a major, busy, road into a minor road.

Your driving school may well have taught you to turn right on a quiet estate.  This article looks at turning right on a busy street.  There will be lots of traffic coming towards you.

It might be a good idea to look again at the MSPSL routine.  This is at the core of safe driving.  It lets you plan the best way to deal with a driving hazard.    Try to remember to do Mirror – Signal – Position – Speed - Look when you are driving.

You are on a driving lesson.  It is a busy town centre road.  There is lots happening all around you.  Your driving instructor asks you to take the next road on the right.  There are cars coming towards you. 

How are you going to handle this turn?  You are going to apply MSPSL.

First things first.  Make sure that you know here the junction is.

There a lots of clues that might tell you where the junction is.  You could look for gaps in the kern or buildings.  Road signs and markings will help you to see the junction.  You might see a pedestrian island in the middle of the road.  You could look for signs and road markings.

Now you know where the junction is.  You need to start to assess it.  What sort of problems can you see? 

Just as you did for left turns, you need to consider how far you could see into the new road and other road users.  There is the traffic coming towards you to think about.  Can you see a gap in the traffic developing?

It is extremely important that you check your mirrors when turning right.  It is vital that you check the right door mirror.  You need to be aware of motorbikes and cyclists.

Indicate right as soon as it is wise to do so.

Take up the right turn position.  Move to the right hand side of your lane.  In an ideal world, the right mirror should be just the correct side of the white line.  The exact position depends on the nature of the road and the amount of space available.  You may be able to use a refuge created by road markings.

The move to the right tells other road users that you do mean to turn right.  It is worth keeping an eye out for these clues.  They are called secondary indications.  You would be amazed how many road users ignore indicators.  The right turn position lets other traffic past.

Try to arrive at the junction at a safe gap in traffic.  This a space that lets you make the turn without causing another driver to react.  You will probably need to adjust your speed.  There might not be a suitable gap.  So, you need to arrive at the junction prepared to stop, but ready to go.

Re-assess the junction and the traffic.

Once it is safe to turn, re-check your mirrors.  Make the turn when the front of the car feels appears to be level with the middle of the new road. 

Avoid cutting the corner.  You might meet a car turning left.  Turning to early makes you cut the corner.   Try not to make the turn late.  You will need to work hard to keep the car safe if you turn late.