A 3-minute lesson from the Arkansas course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Good turns keep you in your own lane from start to finish. Swing too wide or cut the corner and you surprise the drivers around you. At every corner, watch for people on foot.
Know the rule
When no signs or markings control turning, turn into the lane closest to your direction of travel.
On a right turn, don't swing into the opposite lane. A wide turn can make the driver behind think you're changing lanes or turning left, and they may try to pass you on the right.
Right turn: stay close to the right, don't turn wide
Know the rule
On a left turn, don't cut the corner; a sharp turn could hit a vehicle approaching from the left. Leave room for oncoming vehicles to turn left in front of you.
On multi-lane highways, don't ride beside another vehicle: move ahead of it or drop behind it. If someone follows too closely, move into the lane to your right when clear.
Pedestrians carrying a white cane or using a guide dog have absolute right-of-way. Don't use your horn; it could confuse or frighten a blind pedestrian.
When crossing a sidewalk to enter or leave a driveway, alley or parking lot, yield to pedestrians. Driving on a sidewalk is illegal except to cross it.
You're turning right at a corner with no marked crosswalk when a man with a white cane steps off the curb. Stop and wait quietly until he has fully crossed. He has absolute right-of-way, and honking could confuse him.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
When making a right turn, what should a driver avoid doing?
Signaling before the turn
Checking your mirrors carefully before turning
Crossing into the opposite lane of traffic
Slowing down before the turn
Answer: Crossing into the opposite lane of traffic
A right turn should stay within the driver's own lane; crossing into the opposite lane is a wide turn to avoid.
