For driving instructors or those thinking about becoming a driving instructor.
DorWey
Driving School - Turning Right
Problems and solutions for turning right:
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Turning right is a little more complicated than turning left. To turn right you will be possibly crossing the path of oncoming traffic. This is where the 'Turning Right means Turning Last' rule applies. |
Problems Drivers Have With Turning Right
Listed below you will find the problems that very commonly arise during lessons when turning right - and the solutions to these problems.
Turning Right
Mirrors The Problem: Driver carrying out incorrect mirror checks.
Solution: For turning right the interior mirror then the right door mirror should be checked on the approach. Just before the turn another right door mirror check - looking especially for road users on two wheels. Bicycles, mopeds and motorbikes can be especially difficult to spot in your mirrors. Motorcyclists can travel very quickly and if you don't see them - and turn across their path - the consequences could be extremely serious. This final mirror check is called the Lifesaver Check. (Please read 'Think Bike!' at foot of page.)
Signals. The Problem: (1) Driver doesn't signal or (2) Signals at the wrong time.
Solution (1) Driver doesn't signal. You must let other drivers know what you are doing. It is in their interest and in yours. If you signal the other drivers will know your intentions and give you time and space to carry out your manoeuvre.
Solution (2) Driver signalling at the wrong time, i.e. timing of signal. Our methods of communicating with other drivers are limited so we have to be very careful how we do it. Speed plays a part in this. The faster you are travelling the sooner you should signal, but you have to take other things into account.
If there are other minor roads to the right you shouldn't signal too soon or other drivers may think you are turning into the wrong road. You should signal halfway across the road, that is before the road you intend turning into.
If there are parked vehicles on the left and you signal too soon other drivers may assume that you are just signalling to go around them. You should signal just as you pass the parked cars and then other drivers should know that you intend taking the next right. If these parked vehicles are very close to the junction then you will have no choice but to indicate right before you do overtake them. You will also be sending out a signal by the speed of your car. If you keep it slow before turning right, following drivers should understand what you are about to do.
There are other situations, like garage forecourts, where the timing of the signal has to be very accurate.
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You will find that quite a lot of driving issues are not black and white. You must take all things into account, weigh up the pros and cons, and then apply the best solution. |
Position. The problem: (1) Driver doesn't take up position soon enough and (2) Driver takes up wrong position.
Solution (1) Driver doesn't take up position soon enough. Normally (and if safe) when turning right your position should be just left of the centre line. As you approach the turning point you should consider moving over to this position early. You will be reinforcing the message your indicator is putting out and you may allow other road users taking the road ahead, to pass down the inside of you. NB If there are parked vehicles on the right and by moving over early you are going to cause problems to oncoming drivers, then you should take up your position later.
Solution (2) Driver takes up the wrong position. As mentioned before your position will normally be just left of the centre line*. I find quite often that clients on lessons actually end up too far over to the right and slightly across the centre line. This is not a good idea:
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If you can't make the turn and have to wait, you will be in the way if another vehicle comes from the opposite direction. (What if? What if it is a fast moving lorry that requires a lot of room?) If the junction is just before the road bends to the left, this straying over the centre line gets even worse. Instead of following the curve to the left the driver straight-lines it to the turning point and ends up even further across the line than before. If we can't see around the bend, positioning is even more important here. The driver should be making every effort to stay on our side of the road in case something does come around the bend! (What if..?)
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The other reason to stay on our side of the road is that it will make the turn a lot easier, especially on narrow roads. The further away from the turn, the more relaxed the steering can be. In fact, if it is a particularly narrow road and you wont be causing a problem to any other road user, taking up a turning position as far over to the left (near the kerb) as possible maybe a good solution?
*Quite often you will find that on roads around housing estates there are no centre lines marked so you will have to judge where it would be. Sometimes you can detect a mark running down the centre of the road where the tarmac has been laid so you can use this.
Speed/Gear. The Problem: (1) Wrong speed (2) Incorrect gear.
Solution (1) Driver approaches at the wrong speed. Judging the approach speeds is difficult at first. Most will (naturally) approach too slowly when they first start learning. As time passes and they get more experienced the speeds increase. Eventually, partly due to a certain amount of overconfidence, we sometimes end up going too fast. This results is arriving at the turning point before the full MSPSGL routine has been completed. This means that we end up turning into the minor road before a full risk assessment has been made, probably in the wrong gear and with the clutch down. Keep the speeds down on the approach and talk yourself through the MSPSGL routine so that everything is in place before the turning point. (NB This doesn't mean that we slow down from miles back and crawl up to the turning point!)
When turning right you may also have the added complication of approaching traffic. You should not turn in front of approaching vehicles if you are going to cause them any problems. The solution is to plan ahead and adjust your speed.
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If
possible you should time to arrive at the turning point aSolution (2) Driver approaches in the wrong gear. Assuming that there is no approaching traffic to hold you up turning right is mostly carried out in 2nd gear. This is because the turn to the right is not as restricted as a turn left. But, as mentioned above, not everything is black and white. Look at the junction on the approach. Is it free and open, in other words are there any vehicles parked near the mouth of the junction causing potential problems? Are there any vehicles parked opposite the junction causing you to make very tight turn? Will you be turning into a very narrow road and you can't see if vehicles are approaching from the opposite direction? Any of these factors (or any other problems you notice) may suggest that the speed will need to be kept very low, which will require 1st gear. NB Make sure that the gear is in place and the clutch is (at least) coming up through the bite point before you start the turn. I.e. No Coasting!
Looking. The Problems: Not observing and not anticipating problems.
Solution. Don't just look ahead on the approach. Don't just look into the junction on the approach. Do both. Switch your gaze around so you can take in all the problems.
Problems in the major road:
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As mentioned above, if you are going to cause any problems you must not turn in front of approaching traffic. Take everything into account before you make a decision as whether to go or to hold back. Examples of questions that you should be asking yourself: How fast is the approaching vehicle travelling? Is it travelling up or downhill towards me? What sort of vehicle is it, a slow heavily laden lorry or a much faster motorbike? If I am thinking about making a quick move-off, is the road surface good or is it slippery?
Problems in the minor road.
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Examples of questions that you should be asking yourself: Are there any vehicles parked near the junction, if so will they affect my entry into that road? Are any pedestrian walking across the road? Are any vehicles, in the minor road, approaching the junction, will they affect my entry? In other words, can I fully exit the major road?
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The Manoeuvre. The Problems: Going past the turning point. Crossing arms on steering wheel/speed. Cutting the corner. Driver getting into conflict with other drivers. Hesitating. Driver not being able to fully exit major road
Solutions:
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Going past the turning point. If you are having to wait for oncoming traffic to go through, don't keep drifting forwards. Once you arrive at your turning point STOP THE CAR. If you don't you will end up having to do a very tight turn of more than 90 degrees to get into the minor road. This will slow you up and that is something you definitely don't want to be doing as you turn in front of approaching traffic! (But also see 'Not being able to fully exit the major road' below.)
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Crossing arms. Mostly caused by too fast a turn (which is probably due to a lack of observation so the driver is unaware of how tight the turn is before commencing the manoeuvre). If the turn is tight you will have to keep the speed down - you must take this into account when thinking about crossing in front of on-coming traffic.
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Cutting the corner. It is dangerous to take a shortcut across a junction. When turning into the minor road you should not be on the wrong side as you move into it. The exception would be if there were vehicles parked in the minor road forcing you to turn in early. If this is the case you must make sure, before you commence the turn, that you are not going to get into conflict with other drivers in the minor road
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Conflict with others. You mustn't turn in front of approaching vehicles if you are going to cause them any problems. If there is a pedestrian crossing the minor road - they have the right of way - don't drive at them! You mustn't cause any problems to drivers in the minor road - so don't forget to look into it before your start the turn!
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Hesitation. It is good to be cautious but a driver can be over-cautious. It is unreasonable to be waiting far too long (and expecting others to wait behind you) when it is not necessary. On your test the examiner will be assessing how you cope with the full spectrum of driving and part of that is 'hesitancy' and 'making progress'. Part of this selection process is making sure that licences aren't given to people who can't keep up with rest. It is not only potentially dangerous but very frustrating to other drivers.
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Not being able to fully exit the major road. Look into the minor road before you turn. If parked vehicles are blocking your view then move forwards until you can see around them. If there are vehicles approaching and there isn't enough room for you both, and you can't fully exit the major road, then you should stay where you are in the major road until it is clear.
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Think Bike! - Yes, but how many do? The trouble with national campaigns, like 'Think Bike', is that the message can get diluted with repetition, coupled with the fact that they are usually watched on a TV in the comfort of the home. Apart from the initial shock of that very graphic advert (where the driver moves out of the side road and into the path of a motorcyclist) how much lasting affect do these campaigns have? The trouble is that the message is very important, and very true. As a motorcyclist myself, I can recall numerous occasions where motorists have pulled out dangerously across my path and this despite the fact that I always have the headlight on! Why do they do it? Well hopefully not out of some premeditated murderous wish to kill me and my fellow riders?! No, the simple fact is that they just didn't see me. I'm sure they noticed all the other vehicles; the cars, the lorries, the buses - but they didn't see me. It is easy to understand why - they were most likely focussing on things they perceived as a threat to them. The threats have a pecking order of size and speed. Before the motorist works down to the bottom of this list, where the motorcyclist and other people on two-wheels lurk, the driver is probably switching their gaze back to their 'Dangerous to Me' - top of the list. I recognise this problem because as a car driver I can also find myself being guilty of this! It is very easy, especially in busy traffic situations, to miss something as small as a motorbike, moped or bicycle*. So I have to consciously make myself give a 'Think Bike!' check, before finally making my move *Although a 1000cc motorbike is a big machine, from certain angles it can look quite small. Most motorbikes are designed to have the least wind resistance which gives them a very small and streamlined frontal profile. (Think how much smaller a moped or bicycle will look!) This small and insignificant head-on view is what you will see - Or Not!
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Copyright Information - January 2002. The copyright of this web site and the downloads found within (apart from third party material) belongs to its author, Paul Pearson ADI - DorWey Driving School. Material may not be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the author. The diagrams and information found on this page are for the exclusive use of DorWey Driving School clients. If any driving instructor or driving school wishes to use any of the material found on this page they must first contact DorWey Driving School.
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