A driving AIBU: three point turns

BeanAround · 2025-02-05T13:55:08+00:00

This morning I was parked up next to the curb on a long straight 30mph urban road which is moderately busy. I needed to drive off in the opposite direction. The road is wide, but wide enough to U-turn meaning I had to do a three point turn in the road. I waited until I had a reasonable amount of space clear of traffic in both directions - nothing visible behind me, and a car approaching about 300m away in front of me. I completed two points of the three point turn and was ready to execute the third point as the approaching car reached me. At this point, who should give way? I fully expected the approaching car to adjust their speed so I could drive off ahead, but the car continued without slowing and went ahead of me, which gave me a bit of start. YABU - the car turning in the road should give way to the approaching car, letting them pass before completing the 3 point turn YANBU - the approaching car should slow to allow the car turning to complete the manoeuvre.

Glidingswan · 20/03/2025 22:27

You assumed she’d stop but knew she had priority!

Mochudubh · 08/02/2025 19:48

YABU

Regardless of the other traffic, you made a manoeuvre involving reversing outside a school. If the road is so narrow then the back or front bumpers will be overhanging the kerb at the limit of each manoeuvre. You couldn't possible see a small child on the pavement at that distance.

I think there's an argument for NOT making 3 point turns part of the initial test. Might mean people without the confidence to do one properly and appropriately don't attempt it where they shouldn't

Not far from me is what used to be a minor road, almost a back road although it's in a city. Driving Instructors used to use it to teach their pupils 3PTs, no problem. A few years ago the Council built a brand new main road that this road now feeds onto but instructors are still using it to teach 3PTs despite there being 10X the traffic using it to get to the new road. Earlier this week there were 3 driving school cars waiting at the side of the road. Traffic was queued behind them back to the main road waiting for the oncoming traffic to pass so they could overtake the learners.

(Not immediately relevant to the OP but taking the opportunity to rant).

toomuchfaff · 08/02/2025 17:50

ForRealCat · 05/02/2025 14:13

Oh is it going to be one of these threads, where a poster asks AIBU and then goes to argue the toss that they weren't.

No, you shouldn't begin a manoeuvre if it is going to cause another driver to have to take evasive action.

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yep it looks like it.

AIBU...

yes you are

Oh but, but, but...No I'm not...

WeeOrcadian · 08/02/2025 17:01

BeanAround · 05/02/2025 15:12

I think regardless of the right or wrongs, continuing at 30mph when that involves driving in front of someone who is in the middle of a three point turn is just a bit reckless.

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Doing a three point turn on a main road = reckless

YABU

But you'll continue to argue your (invalid) point

kaela100 · 08/02/2025 16:22

You would have failed a driving test for that. After the second turn you're supposed to check your mirrors let traffic past

Yalta · 08/02/2025 15:25

BrillantBriony · 07/02/2025 15:11

Highway says you should not be making manoeuvres such as a 3 point turn on a busy road, you should continue in the direction of travel and find a quiet road to make your manoeuvre.

Won’t go into details but a few years ago I had a fine for driving northward on a particular road

The only sign I passed to say only residents and permit holders could continue along the road in 100 metres was placed after the last exit anyone could take to get off the road.
I refused to pay and had them take me to court
After realising that it didn’t matter how many signs they had placed at the bottom of the road, if I hadn’t approached from the bottom of the road, they changed tack and said on seeing the signs at the start of the restricted part of the road I should have done a U turn or 3 point turn in the middle of this quite busy road. The photos of me continuing to drive on this restricted road just showed the amount of traffic there was

Judge thought that was a dangerous suggestion given the amount of traffic and cancelled all of my fines which had got to high is 3 figures

Yalta · 08/02/2025 15:08

I drive in London regularly and if someone is doing a 3 point turn, depending on which point they are at I would slow down/stop if they were almost at the point of going forward so they could complete the turn and drive off in front of me or if they were still reversing I would go past and continue on my way

I wouldn’t wait for them to complete a 3 point turn if they were just about to start one

Original poster

BeanAround · 08/02/2025 14:11

VoodooRajin · 07/02/2025 13:31

I thought most london roads were 20 mile an hour limit, unless it's on the outskirts?

Yes we're in one of the outer London boroughs where the local council is allergic to the idea of 20mph speed limits, traffic calming, ULEZ...

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Original poster

BeanAround · 08/02/2025 14:09

That’s when I realised- I’m fine with all this stuff if people at least have the grace to say thank you. I hope you say thank you?

Whatever other faults I may have I will say I'm courteous both when it comes to giving way to other drivers and thanking them when they give way for me!

OP posts:

denhaag · 07/02/2025 15:30

BrillantBriony · 07/02/2025 15:11

Highway says you should not be making manoeuvres such as a 3 point turn on a busy road, you should continue in the direction of travel and find a quiet road to make your manoeuvre.

OP has accepted she should not have done the turn where she did.
The other car still should have slowed down so that they were driving safely with the conditions ie a car doing a manoeuvre ahead.

A single car 300m away in London probably isn't regarded as busy though.

BrillantBriony · 07/02/2025 15:11

Highway says you should not be making manoeuvres such as a 3 point turn on a busy road, you should continue in the direction of travel and find a quiet road to make your manoeuvre.

denhaag · 07/02/2025 15:00

Shoestalk · 07/02/2025 13:26

This happened to me once and I was the driver who didn't slow down as I was going quite fast and the other driver suddenly thought they could do a three point turn. As I went past she then caught up with me at a traffic light and called Me an idiot. I proceeded to tell her it was my right of way not hers. She actually made Me very cross.

OP's other driver could have slowed down but chose not to "as they had right of way".
It sounds like someone made a dangerous manoeuvre which didn't allow you time to adjust your speed. If you did have time to adjust your speed, but chose not to then (regardless of right of way) I think you should have.

VoodooRajin · 07/02/2025 13:31

I thought most london roads were 20 mile an hour limit, unless it's on the outskirts?

Shoestalk · 07/02/2025 13:26

This happened to me once and I was the driver who didn't slow down as I was going quite fast and the other driver suddenly thought they could do a three point turn. As I went past she then caught up with me at a traffic light and called Me an idiot. I proceeded to tell her it was my right of way not hers. She actually made Me very cross.

Yalta · 07/02/2025 12:15

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 15:51

You mean like a u-turn but you're using the entrance to a junction to give yourself extra road width so you don't have to do a 3 point turn?

I hate it when people pull that manoeuvre. It only works at a really limited range of junctions that are wide enough to execute it (otherwise they end up having to do a mini 3 point turn in the mouth of the junction) and you need there to be no traffic approaching and good visibility in all directions. Other cars don't recognise what you're doing (assume you're doing a regular right turn but then you stop in the middle of the road) so risk hitting you before they realise what you are up to.

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it’s doing a U turn but allowing you to stop off the main road to check that traffic isn’t coming before pulling out into the road

Not sure why you would hate someone doing that if there are no cars coming out of the side road and no cars going into the side road
Who is around to hate that manoeuvre

HotCrossBunplease · 06/02/2025 22:50

I thought of you this evening OP! I was driving along and a car pulled out from
the other side of the road into a three-point turn. I was definitely less than 300m away when she started her manoeuvre and I duly slowed right down and let her finish. (I actually had to stop). She did not make eye contact at with me and when she drove off she didn’t even do that thing where you flash your hazards to say thank you. That’s when I realised- I’m fine with all this stuff if people at least have the grace to say thank you. I hope you say thank you?

Later in the same journey a car wanted to change lanes so I flashed him to let him in. No thanks from him either. I must have had doormat written all over me tonight!

Original poster

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 15:51

Yalta · 06/02/2025 15:28

Live in london
You drive off in the direction you are facing and then find a street or car park on your right without anyone waiting to turn out into the road or anyone coming from the opposite direction who is turning into the road. You start to do a U turn coming to a stop almost parallel to the road but off the main road, check for traffic and then when safe pull out into the road

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You mean like a u-turn but you're using the entrance to a junction to give yourself extra road width so you don't have to do a 3 point turn?

I hate it when people pull that manoeuvre. It only works at a really limited range of junctions that are wide enough to execute it (otherwise they end up having to do a mini 3 point turn in the mouth of the junction) and you need there to be no traffic approaching and good visibility in all directions. Other cars don't recognise what you're doing (assume you're doing a regular right turn but then you stop in the middle of the road) so risk hitting you before they realise what you are up to.

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Original poster

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 15:31

I think that doing what you did on a 20mph street might have been less controversial as traffic is moving more slowly anyway.

It's a limit, not a target though. I think part of why this caught me out is that I assumed when I started the turn I'd get out ahead of the other car because people aren't typically doing 30 right past the school.

Also as I've said almost every other car on that road is doing a 3 point turn so probably the most unusual thing is that the 30mph car had a clear run of it as normally there'd be half a dozen other cars blocking the road turning round before she got as far as me.

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Yalta · 06/02/2025 15:28

BeanAround · 05/02/2025 14:09

The reality of London at rush hour is that there's basically no such thing as a quiet side street.

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Live in london
You drive off in the direction you are facing and then find a street or car park on your right without anyone waiting to turn out into the road or anyone coming from the opposite direction who is turning into the road. You start to do a U turn coming to a stop almost parallel to the road but off the main road, check for traffic and then when safe pull out into the road

HotCrossBunplease · 06/02/2025 15:24

Yes. They are always men too!

Original poster

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 15:22

I agree with you generally about “assertive” London driving by the way, and the two-step right turns. I am often beeped by someone impatient behind me if I decide to wait until both lanes of traffic are free before turning right.

Yeah two-step right turns are one of those things I always have think about - I don't like to do them if they're not necessary but equally sometimes it's the only option. I always wait a bit to see if a suitable gap is likely to emerge before resorting to the two-step version.

One of my peeves is people who launch straight out of a junction blocking a lane of traffic to make a right turn when they could have just waited a couple of seconds and completed the manoeuvre without blocking anyone. I often flash people and let them pull out in front of me when I can see they're stuck trying to turn right but when people force you to slam on the brakes because they can't wait a couple of seconds for a gap they'll get beeped!

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AnSolas · 06/02/2025 14:15

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 13:24

I can execute a 3-point turn without wildly careening anywhere.

I'll accept that the majority think the 3-point turn is unreasonable.

But I'm not accepting that the other car was reasonable to carry on without slowing down. Even if they assert their priority and go ahead, they should slow down to do so. Their route involved squeezing through a gap that was inches from my bonnet and inches from the parked car opposite (so at risk of clipping an opening car door). In that situation at the very least you slow down.

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You created the hazard. You think the speed before the hazard was fine, you have no idea of how good or poor the drivers depth perception is compaired to yours.

The driver could slowed or stopped and kept blowing their horn.

HotCrossBunplease · 06/02/2025 13:50

I agree that the other person should have slowed down, for the simple reason that it sounds (from what you describe in later post about the tightness of the gap she squeezed through) like it was not actually safe to pass. I’d pause to let someone ahead of me finish a manoeuvre, even if I was a bit disgruntled about them having started the manoeuvre in the first place.

As an aside I’m surprised that there is a street in London with a 30mph limit and a school on it. Our borough and the neighbouring one are all 20mph everywhere. I think that doing what you did on a 20mph street might have been less controversial as traffic is moving more slowly anyway.
I agree with you generally about “assertive” London driving by the way, and the two-step right turns. I am often beeped by someone impatient behind me if I decide to wait until both lanes of traffic are free before turning right.

denhaag · 06/02/2025 13:45

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 13:24

I can execute a 3-point turn without wildly careening anywhere.

I'll accept that the majority think the 3-point turn is unreasonable.

But I'm not accepting that the other car was reasonable to carry on without slowing down. Even if they assert their priority and go ahead, they should slow down to do so. Their route involved squeezing through a gap that was inches from my bonnet and inches from the parked car opposite (so at risk of clipping an opening car door). In that situation at the very least you slow down.

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Of course. If someone jumps out in the road in front of you, you don't just run them over because they were in the wrong.
If someone is driving dangerously slow then you don't exert your right to go faster and tail gate them.

Original poster

BeanAround · 06/02/2025 13:35

Simplynotsimple · 06/02/2025 13:18

Why can’t you leave earlier, take the slightly longer route to the school so you’re facing the correct direction to head off. That also frees space for the next parent to pull up instead of faffing with your phone for a few minutes. As my previous posts said, it’s all ‘my time and need to be places is most important’. Everyone on that road needs to be somewhere.

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If I could routinely get my children out of the house 15 minutes earlier that would solve a lot of problems, three point turns being the least of them!

To be honest I hadn't really thought that much about the 3 point turn itself being a problem before as it's simply what everyone does but it is making me think a bit - my ideal is not to use the car at all which we manage most of the time but some days the time for the school run gets squeezed and the car is the only option.

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