A driving AIBU: three point turns

[BeanAround]

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.

I don't think London driving is that aggressive (compared to say, Italy which is just everyone for themselves!) I think I'd describe London driving as assertive - but I think people are actually generally quite accommodating - in fact I was just thinking about that this morning before the 3 point turn - there's a few points on my regular school run journey that I'm totally dependent on other people giving up their right of way to let you pass and 9 times out of 10 that's what happens.

Which is probably why I felt a bit surprised this morning as doing a 3 point turn on that road is totally normal (outside a school and most people have to turn round and go back the way they came, there's not a convenient way to continue and drive in a loop), and generally people do slow to let you do it.

(US so not really relevant I guess + only for my particular state)

Legally, through traffic has the right of way, so the 'turner' waits for 'through' to pass. In reality it's about 50/50 with one 'waiting' for the other.

Personally,I wouldn't try to make a 3 pt turn on a busy street and if there were no carparks or side streets wide enough, I'd go round the block then turn back onto my desired street in the direction I wanted to travel.

Everyone LOVES talking about trivial driving infractions.

You don't do a 3 point turn where there's traffic around. You either carry straight on and do a 360 at a roundabout or you turn left or right off the main road down side streets and come back on yourself round the block to rejoin the main road at the next junction.

When carrying out a manoeuvre it's your job to ensure the road is clear to enable you to do it. If the road is not clear, you have to stop what you're doing until you can continue.

As others have said, my understanding is that you shouldn't be causing other vehicles to slow down.

If I was the car approaching you, I would consider that I had the right of way, and i would only slow/stop to let you finish the manoeuvre for one of two reasons:

1. I'm not in a rush so fancy being polite (my DH calls me a knight of the road); or

2. I'm not convinced that you are checking your mirrors properly, or that you are aware that I'm approaching, so figure it's safer to let you finish than risk you plowing into me

Not sure - I'd have slowed down for you but I'd have been rolling my eyes a bit because people shouldn't be doing 3 point turns in roads busy with traffic on them already. Drive to somewhere where it doesn't impede others' progress, please.

Were you on Barnet High Street? I drive down there regularly and I don't think I've ever made from one end to the other without someone doing a 3 point turn on there.

Add in all the people trying to park, Deliveroo drivers everywhere and pedestrians seemingly unaware that crossings even exist and it's a total farce trying to get along that road.

You can do the 3 point turn but you stop if other traffic is coming rather than completing.

This.

You are allowed to do a three point turn when it is safe.

If you are undertaking a manoeuvre others should slow down. There is no right to continue at 30mph.

I mean you're in London, that changes everything. So am I. That's exactly how I'd do that manoeuvre, but I'd also expect the other car to whizz past me. Sorry! It's brutal out there!

Jeez, was it you driving on the road by my daughter’s nursery this morning, holding everyone up with a three point turn?

I drive in London, you still find a side street and turn there. Doing a three point turn in the road at rush hour is also never going to be quiet enough to not disrupt everyone.

I would always slow down and let the turner continue their manoeuvre but I don't know if that's a rule, or just polite

In reality most decent (as in nice or courteous) drivers will slow (if safe) and allow the 3 pointer to finish and move off. It's like letting someone out if you see they're indicating, or waiting to allow someone to reverse out of a parking space.

That wouldn't be illegal.

In your situation if I thought I had time to do the turn and found I didn't (car suddenly turned into the road for instance) I would give way to the oncoming car.

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.

Yabu. The person doing the non-standard maneuver is definitely a lower priority than the person who is just on their journey not doing anything unusual.

But also it sounds like an inappropriate road to do a 3 point turn in and a considerate and safe driver would have driven in the wrong direction a little way until there's a side road, where you could either go into the side road fully and do your 3 point turn out of the way, or if there's no one behind there might be time to do a reverse-around-a-corner into the side road and hence reverse direction with without obstructing the main road at any point.

Oh you are one of "those drivers" who can't be arsed to turn down a side street and have to stop the flow of traffic to do their sllloooooooowwww "3" when in reality it's 5 point turn

I think the reality of urban driving is that sometimes you have to cause and/or wait for another driver to slow down and let you perform a manoeuvre otherwise no-one would ever get anywhere.

Or, and hear me out, you should just wait and accept that people don’t want to be, and shouldn’t have to be, inconvenienced by your manoeuvres.

Your op said that you fully expected the approaching car to adjust their speed so I could drive off. Such entitlement! You were the issue here.

London is not a different country and doesn't have different rules of the road. If there's not space to do a 3-point turn, find another way of turning your car round - via a roundabout or side streets.

It was their right of way, not yours. They could have waited as a curtesy but were in no way obliged to and come on, if you’re used to London driving then you must know it’s quite rare for anyone to wait and the norm is to squeeze past the second they can! In future your best bet is plan your route there to ensure you’re facing in the right direction to drive straight off- I do this with DD’s school as the road is a bit of a nightmare. Even if it’s a detour of a couple of minutes to get there ultimately you save time because you can safely drive straight off afterwards. If you aren’t able to do that for whatever reason then often driving round the block is preferable to attempting a 3 point turn on a busy road!

Echo most people.

Out of courtesy and to avoided a potential collision I would have waited.

But you were totally in the wrong for doing what you did. You should have gone in the direction you were facing and used a side road to turn round, not doing it on the main road and holding up traffic.

I would slow down but only because I can control my driving not that of idiot road users! As a rule I would rather have the idiot in front of me than behind too

the fact you did it outside a school makes it even more daft

I can do 3 point turns within 10 seconds, how slow are you driving to take over 22 seconds to do one?!

That said, I wouldn't do one if there was an oncoming car. I'd have driven in the direction I was parked, then turn into the next right hand turn and come back on myself that way.

YABU, you shouldn't have made a turn in the road until you could do so without impeding traffic coming in the opposite direction. And yes, that does mean that in a place like London in the circumstances you describe there may never be an opportunity to do one.

It would have been polite of them to let you go, but the Highway Code is on their side.

One of the first things my driving instructor taught me was to assume that every other road user and pedestrian is at best not paying attention.

Driving threads on here are always a bit weird - in reality, OP, the vast majority of people would slow down for a car doing a quick manoeuvre that they had clear sight of for 300m.