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Turning

The check asks how to position your car, when to signal and who gives way when you turn. In Japan you turn left close to the kerb and right toward the centre.

Key rules

• Check behind with the mirror first, then signal.
• Signal when you reach 30 m before the turning point (before the intersection if you turn there).
• Stop signalling as soon as you have finished turning. Do not signal when it is not needed.
• Left turn: move to the left edge in advance, go along the edge of the intersection and go slowly.
• Right turn: move toward the centre in advance, pass just inside the centre of the intersection and go slowly.
• From a one-way road, turn right from the right edge.
• A right-turning car must not block a car going straight or turning left.
• Do not hinder pedestrians crossing the road you turn into. Large cars swing the rear wheels inward, so check the left rear.
• Follow arrow markings and lane markings that tell you where to turn.

Numbers to remember

Common traps

• "Signal at the moment you start turning." Wrong: signal at 30 m before.
• "Swing wide to the left before a left turn." Wrong: stay close to the left edge.
• The two-stage right turn is for motorised bicycles and light vehicles, not for ordinary cars.
• "If you entered first, oncoming cars must wait." Wrong: the right-turner must wait.
• 30 m is for turns and U-turns; about 3 seconds is for lane changes.

In left-hand traffic the right turn is the one that crosses oncoming cars. You wait near the centre and give way to oncoming traffic.

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