What is a three point turn?

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There are right turns, left turns, and U-turns. Turns of events. Turns of fortune. Turnarounds. Turns of phrase. And you can take an unfortunate turn for the worse. But there is only one three-point turn. It's a part of many a driver's-license road test, and sooner or later, every driver is going to need to pull off this basic maneuver. The three-point turn is how you get going in the opposite direction on a road or street that's too narrow on which to make a U-turn in a single, clean sweep.

Follow these steps to make safe and smooth three-point turns. It's as easy as, ahem, one-two-three.

Point 1: Stop, Signal, Check, Turn

Jeff Xu|Car and Driver

For your first few attempts, find a quiet side street or a road on which there's little traffic, so you can practice without worrying about other cars. (For the purposes of this discussion, let's assume you're on a two-lane street or road.) At the spot where you want to turn around, pull your vehicle over to the right side of the road—close to the curb if there is one—and turn on your right signal to let drivers coming in both directions know that you've pulled over and that they should pass. Next, look ahead to check if there's any oncoming traffic and then scan your mirrors to see if any vehicles are coming from behind. Look over your left shoulder as well, just to be sure that the coast is clear.

If there's no oncoming traffic, turn on your left signal and crank the steering wheel all the way to the left. Pull forward, turning slowly across the road until your front bumper is almost at the opposite curb. Stop there. Now turn the steering all the way to the right and shift to reverse. But before you back up, look to the right and left to confirm that the road is still clear in both directions—or that any other cars on the road have stopped for you to complete the turn.

Point 2: Check, Reverse, Stop

Jeff Xu|Car and Driver

Now, with the wheel turned fully to the right, reverse to a point between halfway and three-quarters across the street and come to a stop. If you're executing this maneuver on a street where cars are parked on both sides, be careful when you back up. You don't want to inadvertently hit any of the cars behind you!

Point 3: Pull Forward

Jeff Xu|Car and Driver

Now comes the easy part: Shift to D, turn the wheel to the left and pull forward, finishing your turn, and then head off in the opposite direction from which you came. You've completed a three-point turn!

Remember: Take your time, scan for oncoming traffic before initiating each of the three points in the turn, and maneuver slowly and carefully. Do that and your three-point turns will be safe and drama-free.

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Occasionally you will need to do a Three Point Turn. This might be when you have made a wrong turn, seen a parking spot on the other side of the street or you are at the end of a dead end street. Using a Three Point Turn you can turn the vehicle around in a street that is too narrow to perform a U-turn.

Before performing a three point turn

Before you can perform a Three Point Turn, you need to be proficient in the use of:

  • Accelerator and brakes
  • The gears
  • The clutch
  • Starting and stopping the car
  • Hand-over-hand steering technique
  • Blind spots
  • Moving to and from the kerb
  • Slow moving forward
  • Uphill starts
  • Downhill starts
  • Reversing
  • Slow speed control
  • Road signs and markings

The key to performing a good Three Point Turn is great car control. You need to keep the car going as slow as possible and the steering moving as quickly as possible. One of the big mistakes that drivers make when doing a Three Point Turn is turning the steering wheel when the vehicle is stationary. With a modern vehicle with power steering you won’t feel that it is difficult to do, however, your steering system and tyres will be hating you for it! Best practice is to make sure that the vehicle is moving even just a tiny bit before turning the steering wheel. This can be best done by turning the steering straight before stopping when doing your forward and reverse changes.
The most important part of doing a Three Point Turn is checking for traffic. Before each point change, using your mirrors and turning your head, you need to check that the traffic situation around you has not changed.

Where to do a Three Point Turn

  • Make sure that you can be seen.
  • Don’t do a Three Point Turn near a corner, crest or block out.
  • A Three Point Turn must not be done across any unbroken line.
  • Never use a driveway, this manoeuvre must be completed on the road surface without hitting the kerb.

How to do a Three Point Turn

  • Start a Three Point Turn by doing a kerbside stop, assess the traffic both in front and behind to ensure that there is time to perform the manoeuvre, then leave the curb (you have no right of way when you are performing a Three Point Turn).
  • Once you are moving, you need to turn the wheel as quickly as possible to the right.
  • Just before you get to the opposite kerb, straighten the steering in preparation for reverse.
  • After checking for traffic, reverse and turn the wheel quickly to the left.
  • Only reverse as far as is necessary to clear the kerb when moving forward.
  • Before you move forward again, check the traffic again and then off you go.

Sometimes a road is too narrow to make the manoeuvre in three points, in this case  you can use five. Just make sure to keep an eye on traffic throughout the process.

How do you know that you are confident at the Three Point Turn? 

  • When you start practicing Three Point Turns on a road that is just too narrow that a U-turn cannot be completed.
  • At the top level you can do a Three Point Turn on a narrow road with lots of parked cars and heavy road camber. In this situation, you will have to select an appropriate gap and use high level car control.

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