Turns, lanes, passing and parking
You are stopped, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can turn left. Which way should your front wheels point?
- Straight ahead, until it is safe to start the turn. Correct answer
- To the left, so you are ready to go the moment a gap opens.
- To the right, away from the oncoming lanes.
Why
Keep the wheels straight while you wait. If they are already turned left and a vehicle hits you from behind, the handbook warns that you could be pushed into oncoming traffic, the very traffic you were waiting for. Pointing them to the right is not part of the handbook's left-turn steps at all. The related mistake is turning the steering wheel too soon and ending up in the lane of oncoming vehicles. Start the turn only when it is safe, move into the intersection as you turn so you finish in the left lane, accelerate smoothly, and let the wheel straighten once you are in the new lane.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Straight ahead, until it is safe to start the turn.
The rule behind this one
Turns, lanes, passing and parking in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- You are joining traffic on the highway. How much space does the handbook say you need in order to merge?
- Where does the handbook say you must NOT pass another vehicle?
- To parallel park, you pull up alongside the vehicle parked in front of the empty space. About how much room should you leave between the two vehicles?
- You park on a hill on a road that has no curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?