A 3-minute lesson from the New York course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Where you start and finish a left turn depends on whether each road is one-way or two-way. Start in the lane nearest the direction you're turning, and finish in the matching lane of the new road, keeping right of its center line.
Left turn from a one-way road into a one-way roadLeft turn from a one-way road into a two-way road
Know the rule
One-way into two-way: be alert for traffic approaching from the road to the left. Motorcycles are hard to see, and their speed and distance are hard to judge.
Two-way into two-way: try to use the left side of the intersection so you don't interfere with oncoming traffic that also wants to turn left. Watch for traffic from the left and from the lane you'll cross. Drivers often fail to see an oncoming motorcycle and hit it while turning.
You're on a two-way street turning left onto a one-way street. Approach in the right half of your road, next to the center line. Turn before the middle of the intersection and end up in the left lane of the one-way street.
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.
Turning left from a one-way road into a one-way road with two lanes, which lane must you enter?
The left lane of the road you enter
Whichever lane has less traffic
The right lane of the road you enter
Either lane, driver's choice
Answer: The left lane of the road you enter
When turning left from a one-way road into a two-lane one-way road, you must turn into its left lane.
