The turn in the road or 3 point turn as it is sometimes reffered to is a manoeuver designed to get your car turned around safely in order to go in the opposite direction of travel, I prefer not to call it a 3 point turn as it is sometimes not possible to complete in 3 moves due to the road being too narrow

The main points of the turn in the road are

1 :- Moving slowly, controlling the speed of the car by using the clutch

2 :- Turning the steering wheel briskly, using full turns
(this can prove a little daunting at first because your brain is concentrating on trying to make 1 thing happen slowly, that is the speed of the car and at the same time turn the steering wheel quite quickly, with practice this soon gets easier)

3 :- Keeping a constant and effective lookout for other road users and stopping the car if you think they may get close enough to cause concern

It’s a natural human reaction to feel under pressure if you are causing other traffic to wait. You must control your urges to rush as this can cause you to stall or not turn the steering wheel enough, thereby causing you to hold up traffic even longer

The Turn in the Road in Detail

Find a safe, legal and convenient position to carry out the maneuver then proceed to do the normal move off routine, that being P.O.M. (Prepare, Observe, Move)

When you start moving go very slowly using the clutch to control the speed, this means that if you are going a little too fast (3 or 4 MPH or a very slow walking pace is fast enough) then pressure on the clutch will take some of the ‘drive’ off the engine, you can brake a little too if necessary

As soon as the car starts moving put full and brisk turns on the steering wheel to the right until the wheel will is fully locked, (a full lock simply means the wheel is turned as far as possible)

Remember that full effective observations should be carried out constantly

When the front end of the car is around 1 metre or slightly less from the kerb then turn the steering wheel briskly to the left as much as you can before stopping the car just before the front end reaches the kerb

Now apply the handbrake and select reverse gear

Make sure you have a good look all around again paying particular attention to the direction you are about to go

At the same time start to find your ‘bite point’ on the clutch so that the car will not roll (due to the camber or unevenness of the road)

If all is clear and safe then release your handbrake and start moving very slowly backwards while turning the steering wheel as far to the left as you can

After you have traveled over the centre of the road and only after you have made certain that your immediate area is clear of other road users turn your attention over your right shoulder and look at the kerb behind you

When the back end of the car is about 1 metre or slightly less then turn the steering wheel to the right as briskly as you can and as far as you can in the time given, then stop the car just before the back end reaches the kerb

Good and effective observations again while you are applying the handbrake and selecting 1st gear, then bite point and start moving forward while turning the steering wheel briskly to the right

When the car is straightened up in the direction you wish to travel then have a good check in your mirrors and all around before gently accelerating if all is safe

UK ADI