How to do a three-point turn (and the roadside stop)

What a three-point turn is

A three-point turn gets your car facing the other way on a road that’s too narrow for a U-turn: forward across the road, reverse once, then forward again. On the road test, it starts when the examiner asks you to stop and turn around.

Outside the test, the Handbook says the simplest and safest way to turn around is usually to drive around the block. A three-point turn is for when that isn’t possible.

Where you can’t turn around

Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act bans turning to go the opposite way in places where other drivers can’t see you in time. That covers U-turns and three-point turns alike:

• On a curve where you can’t see approaching traffic within 150 m.
• On a railway crossing, or within 30 m of one.
• Near the top of a hill, or on the approach to it, where approaching drivers can’t see your car within 150 m.
• Within 150 m of a bridge, viaduct or tunnel that blocks the view.

The three-point turn, step by step

1. Pull over on the right. Check traffic in front and behind, and your right blind spot if someone could be beside you. Signal right before you slow down, slow steadily, and stop parallel to the curb, no more than 30 cm from it.
2. Check before you move. Mirrors and your left blind spot, just before you start. Wait until the road is clear, or until traffic has stopped for you.
3. Signal left.
4. Go forward, turning sharply left. Move slowly and smoothly across the road and stop just short of the far side.
5. Look both ways again. Every time you stop during the turn, check traffic in both directions.
6. Reverse, turning sharply right. Look over your right shoulder in the direction you’re moving, and back up until the car points the new way. Stop before the edge or curb. The Handbook’s chapter on changing directions also says to signal right before backing up.
7. Check both ways, shift into drive, and go. Straighten up, check your mirrors, and speed up smoothly to blend with traffic.

The usual mistakes, and how to fix them

DriveTest doesn’t publish a scoresheet, but these are the slips the Handbook’s checklist is built to catch.

Skipping the checks between moves

Each stop in a three-point turn is a fresh start. Look both ways every time, even on a quiet street. Examiners watch your head, not just the car.

Needing a second reverse

Start right beside the curb so you have the whole width of the road. Turn the wheel fully left as you begin rolling, and fully right as you begin reversing. A slow crawl with lots of steering beats a faster move with too little.

Touching the curb

Stop a little short of each side. You can always creep forward a few centimetres; you can’t undo bumping the curb.

Reversing by the mirrors alone

Turn your body and look back over your shoulder in the direction you’re moving. Mirrors help, but they’re not enough on their own.

Rushing it

There’s no time limit you can see. Slow and controlled is exactly what the checklist asks for: move slowly and smoothly.

The roadside stop, step by step

The examiner may ask you to pull over and stop, then carry on. It’s a small manoeuvre with a long list of checks.

Pulling over

1. Check your mirrors before slowing down, and make sure stopping there is legal. Look for signs.
2. Scan ahead and behind. The Handbook says a gap of 150 m in both directions gives you enough space.
3. Check your right blind spot if a cyclist, pedestrian or car could pass you on the right.
4. Signal right before slowing down, and slow steadily.
5. Stop parallel to the curb and no more than about 30 cm from it. With no curb, stop as far off the road as you can. Don’t block a driveway, an entrance or traffic.

Once you’re stopped

• Turn your signal off and your hazard lights on.
• Shift into park and set the parking brake.
• On a hill, turn your wheels against the curb so the car can’t roll into traffic. The parallel parking guide explains which way.

Pulling back out

1. Release the parking brake and shift into drive.
2. Hazard lights off, left signal on.
3. Check your mirrors and your left blind spot just before you move.
4. Speed up smoothly to blend with traffic, and cancel your signal once you’re back in the lane.

Reversing safely

• Go slowly, and check the way is clear before you start. Watch especially for children and cyclists.
• Look where you’re going. Turn sideways and look over your shoulder: your right shoulder when backing straight or to the right, your left when backing to the left. Check the other side too.
• Watch the front of the car. When you turn while reversing, the front swings out the other way.
• Never reverse on a fast divided highway. Backing up on the road or shoulder of a highway with a median and a limit over 80 km/h is illegal. Missed your exit? Take the next one.
• Stopped past the stop line? The Handbook says not to back up. Wait where you are.

Is it on the G2 and G road tests?

Yes for the G2: ontario.ca lists three-point turns among the G2 skills, and DriveTest describes the roadside stop and three-point turn as already covered in the G2 road test.

Not at the moment for most G tests. Until further notice, the G road test at full-time DriveTest centres, including Hamilton’s, leaves out the three-point turn, the roadside stop, parallel parking and residential driving. Part-time Travel Point locations still give the standard G test.

How to practise

Find a wide, quiet residential street with a clear view both ways and no driveways right where you’ll turn. Do five or six turns in a row, then a few roadside stops, saying each check out loud. Then switch off the backup camera and do it all again.