Now we have looked at driving at slow speeds, looked at the push & pull steering technique and discussed open & closed junctions, we can apply these skills to making some basic turns.
The next guides focus on two different types of common turning we will need to learn.
When we turn off from a major road into a minor road (a side road), this is called a “turn”. Some side roads can be hard to spot, we should slow down and look for gaps between houses or hedges to help us.
When we are turning out from a minor road, onto a major road, this is called “emerging”.
When emerging, we’ll need to give way to any traffic established on the major road (in both directions). Most T junctions will show "give way" road markings or and maybe a give way sign. More rarely but they are out there a stop line or sign we must come to a complete stop before moving off. Stop signs are usually put there for a good reason as the junction may have a restricted view or is a dangerous junction. This forces us to take the time to make good observations and emerge as safely as possible.
When we make any turn or emerge, we can apply our MSPSL routine on approach.
With all these turns & emerges, we’ll be doing them at low speed at this point, this will give us time to apply our MSPSL routine. As we progress, we’ll be able to manage them at normal safe speeds.
Tip: When driving around a corner, it’s important that our clutch is fully up before steering, this ensures we have full control of the car.
Driving with the clutch down is called “coasting” and can be dangerous as the car is just rolling with no resistance from the engine and not in full control.
To ensure we are not coasting, we need to slow the car down in good time, allowing us to select the appropriate gear and get the clutch raised before we start to turn.
At crawling speeds we can put the clutch all the way down if the car has momentum enough to roll forward, this is too slow to be considered coasting. This is usually followed by a little clutch control.
Left turns
When turning left, we are on the major road turning into a minor road. There’s no traffic to give way to, but we need to keep a good look out for pedestrians crossing or vehicles parked in the new road.
When turning, if we keep the left kerb in the lower left corner of the windscreen and follow the curve of the kerb, this will maintain a good position in the road.
If we turn too soon, we could hit the kerb, if we turn too late, we may cross onto the opposite side of the road, which can be very dangerous if there is oncoming traffic.
Tip: When turning, slowing down to about 15mph and selecting 2nd gear usually works well.
Be aware that some turns might need to be done slower and in a lower gear or faster in a higher gear depending on the situation or angle of the minor road. Try not to overthink your gear selection, simply choose a safe speed, then select a gear to match that speed.
Right turns
When turning right, we can only proceed if there is no oncoming traffic approaching us.
Keeping our speed low at this stage is important, as is the timing of our turn.
We’ll need to turn a little sharper (working the steering wheel more).
If we steer too soon, we will cut the corner of the new road. This can be dangerous if there is oncoming traffic in the minor road (like the cyclist in the diagram below!)
A good reference point is the centreline of the new road, if you start turning after you have passed this line, you won’t cut the corner.
If we turn too late, we’ll end up steering a “S” bend into the road and need to work harder to correct our steering.
