7- Turning Around

Goal: Teach your teen the best ways to turn a vehicle around in various circumstances.

Location: Start on a quiet neighborhood street with accessible side streets. Please be respectful of neighbors and private property.

Lesson one – turning around safely

Turning around involves backing into a side street to reverse direction. Your teen will need to demonstrate turning around when they take their DMV skills test. On a quiet street, have your teen identify an available side street on the same side of the street as your car, at a point where they can see oncoming traffic for at least 200 feet.

Turning around will be required when you take your DMV road test.

• As you approach a side street on your right, reduce speed and check for traffic in all directions. Turn on your directional light when you are in front of the side street you will be backing in to. This will eliminate having a vehicle pull out of the side street in front of you thinking you are turning into the side street. Drive just past the street and stop about 18 inches from the curb or the edge of the road lining up the rear reference point. Shift into reverse and turn wheel all the way to the right. Check for traffic in all directions before backing. Be sure to check your blind spots.
• When the side street is clear, back slowly into it. Be careful to keep on your own side of the street. Check the blindspot as your front end swings out. Look mostly through the rear window while backing. Stop backing when your vehicle is all the way into the side street beyond any crosswalks or stop lines.
• Before you turn back out onto the street, signal left and shift to drive.
• When there are no vehicles coming, make a proper left turn to complete the turn around.

Always look behind you, with occasional checks to the front and blind spot areas, and back the vehicle slowly. Never back across an intersection. Remember when you are backing your vehicle, you are responsible for traffic in all directions!