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Automotive & MechanicsSignaling and turning into the proper lane

Every left and right turn is scored in three parts: the approach, the stop if there is one, and the turn itself. The examiner looks at your traffic checks, the signal 100 feet before, the lane you turn from and the lane you end in, your steering and your speed. Turning from the wrong lane is a critical driving error. It is the turns of the California DMV Class C driving test.

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Scenarios

  • A right turn, with or without a bike lane.
  • A left turn from a designated left turn lane or a two-way center left turn lane.
  • An intersection with multiple turn lanes.

The steps

  1. Approach: check traffic ahead and behind you, and to the left or right.
  2. Before moving into the bike lane or the center left turn lane, check the blind spot over your shoulder.
  3. On a right turn with a bike lane, never skip the mirror and over-the-shoulder check. Critical point
  4. Signal at least 100 feet before the turn, but not so early that other drivers misread it.
  5. Slow down and brake smoothly, never pressing the brake and the accelerator together; with a manual transmission, shift to keep power and the gear engaged.
  6. Right turn: enter the bike lane within 200 feet of the turn, only after making sure no bicycle is coming, or enter the right turn lane at its opening, and use the right-most part of the lane.
  7. Left turn: enter the two-way center left turn lane within 200 feet of the turn without cutting off anyone already in it, or enter the left turn lane at its opening, and use the left-most part of the lane.
  8. Never drive more than 200 feet in a bike lane or a two-way center left turn lane. Critical point
  9. Turn only from the correct lane: never turn from a straight lane, and never go straight from a turn lane. Critical point
  10. If you stop: a full stop within 6 feet of the limit line, the front of the car out of the intersection.
  11. Waiting to turn left, keep the wheels pointed straight ahead.
  12. Yield when safety requires it, and take your right-of-way when it is safe, without causing confusion.
  13. Turn the wheel smoothly, only as much as needed: no over- or under-steering.
  14. Stay within the lane markings: not too wide, not too short.
  15. End the turn in the proper lane; with multiple turn lanes, begin and end in the right one.
  16. Keep a smooth, safe speed with no stops during the turn, and accelerate smoothly after it.
  17. Cancel the signal when the turn is done.

Safety rules that stop the station

  • Stay within the lane markings while you approach, and do not stop unless a vehicle, pedestrian, bicyclist, sign or signal requires it.

To pass

  • Each item here that you miss is marked as an error on the scoring maneuvers; you pass with no more than 15 of them.
  • A step marked critical is a critical driving error: a single one fails the test.

Official source

California · DMV, DL 955

Driving Test Criteria (DL 955)

The California DMV publishes its Driving Test Criteria (DL 955) free: the pre-drive checklist, the scoring criteria and the critical driving errors.

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