Turning can be dangerous, because it often means you have to cross the path of other vehicles. Remember – turning traffic usually gives way to traffic that isn’t turning.
To legally and safely make a left or right turn:
If you're turning left, use your left indicator. If you're turning right, use your right indicator.
Be prepared to stop, even if the other driver should give way to you.
Important!Always check your blind spots when turning or changing lanes. |
If you're coming out of a driveway:
If you're turning left into another street or driveway:
Making a left turn
An unlaned road is a road with no marked white lines or raised studs.
To stay well out of the way of oncoming vehicles, always keep as close as possible to the left side of the road.
Important!When turning, keep to your position on the road. For example, if you’re on the left-hand side of the road, you should stay on the left-hand side of the road after you’ve turned and if you’re in a lane next to the centre line, you should turn into the lane next to the centre line. |
In this situation:
Right turn on an unmarked road
In this situation:
Right turn on a laned road
If other vehicles are moving fast or following too closely, or if the road is narrow, it may be best to wait on the left-hand side of the road to make the turn, rather than stopping in the middle of the road and holding up traffic.
In this situation:
Right turn from left-hand side of road - laned
Right turn form left-hand side of road - unlaned
If a vehicle in front of you has also stopped to turn right, it’s best to wait behind them and then use the same position to turn from. Take extra care on roads where the traffic is moving quickly.
A right-turn bay is an area where vehicles that are turning right can wait until it’s safe to turn, without holding up vehicles going straight through.
You can’t use the right-turn bay to overtake a vehicle travelling straight ahead.
As you approach the right-turn bay, the road will be painted with a white triangle with diagonal lines inside it, followed by one or more right-turn arrows.
You can only drive over the white diagonal lines if you’re turning right.
Turning on a road with a flush median
Safe turning tipIf you've stopped to turn right, keep your wheels pointed straight ahead until you start to turn. That way, if you're hit from behind you're less likely to be pushed into the path of oncoming traffic. |
A flush median is a strip in the centre of the road that's marked with white diagonal lines within parallel lines. It's a place for vehicles to wait safely before turning right off the road, or after turning right onto the road.
You can only drive onto the flush median to:
Using a flush median
Important!When using a flush median, watch out for pedestrians who might be waiting on the flush median to cross the road. |
You’re normally allowed to make U-turns, as long as the road is clear in both directions and it’s safe to do so. Make sure you have enough room to complete the turn and don’t create a hazard for oncoming vehicles.
You aren’t allowed to make U-turns on a motorway or if a No U-turn sign is displayed.
You can cross over the solid yellow no-passing line, if it’s safe to do so, when making a turn to enter a driveway or side road.
However, no-passing lines are often marked where visibility is limited, so extra care is needed. It may be safer to turn further along the road, where visibility is better.
