How to make a u-turn

A u-turn manoeuvre is where you turn 180 degrees on the road in order to travel in the other direction. There are a number of things to think about:

• Is there any traffic following me that might not be expecting me to stop and do a u-turn?
• Is it safest for me to pull over to the left, wait for a gap in traffic and then perform the u-turn?
• Is the road wide enough to complete the turn in one manoeuvre? (if not, it will become a three-point turn where you have to reverse as well)
• Is there any traffic coming towards me?
• If there is traffic coming towards me, can I complete the turn and accelerate back up-to-speed again without causing them to brake or take evasive action?
• If I\'m waiting at a traffic light and want to do a u-turn, will doing the u-turn interfere with traffic either coming towards me or entering the junction from the right, or any pedestrians on the road.
• Is my vehicle capable of doing a u-turn without causing issues? This is mostly a problem if you are towing a trailer and it ends up having to be a three-point turn because you misjudged the turning circle of the vehicle
• Is it safer to turn into a side street and then do a three-point turn?

 The safest way is to pull over to the left of the road by indicating left. While you are stopped on the left, indicate right, wait for a gap in both traffic directions and make the manoeuvre.

Pay special attention to cyclists approaching - ensure you look over your shoulder, not just in your mirror.

You can do a u-turn anywhere where it\'s safe and not prohibited. If you see this sign, then u-turns are not allowed.