Driving Tips > Safety Columns
Turn safely onto divided roads: Left turns require full attention
Many drivers wonder whether it is legal when
turning left from a side street onto a divided road to go half way and
wait in the median.
It is – but it requires skill and caution.
Here’s how to do it safely
First, look in the lanes to your left to ensure there is no traffic coming from that direction, and look ahead to ensure there’s no one else in the intersection. When you get to the median and stop, ensure that you don’t block more than one lane behind you.
“It’s a manoeuvre that should be done cautiously
and slowly, so that traffic approaching from the right knows you intend to
stop,” says Lou Gervino, Manager of Driver Education for Manitoba Public
Insurance. “And you have to make sure that you don’t nose out
into the traffic coming from your right.”
Wait for a break in traffic
Lou, who appears daily on the 60-Second Driver on CTV, says that once you are in the median, you should look right until there’s a break in traffic from that direction.
“Use your signal light, turn to the left of the centre of the intersection and into the closest lane,” he says.
Remember that if there is no median dividing the road, you must wait until it is clear in both directions before making a left turn.
For more information, watch The 60-Second Driver on CTV, or visit the following sections on this website:
- Median Turns in Driving Tips
- Turning at a wide boulevard in Driving Tips
- You can access the 60-Second video on Median Turns directly
