Compare left- and right-turn gaps, look ahead for usable opportunities, and avoid both forced turns and excessive hesitation.
Compare left- and right-turn gaps, look ahead for usable opportunities, and avoid both forced turns and excessive hesitation.
Each section below follows an explanation or demonstration in the video. Select a section to play from that point, then practise the skill with appropriate supervision.
Choose space that lets you join or cross traffic without making another road user brake or change position to avoid you. Scan farther ahead so a clearly safe opportunity is recognized before it reaches the intersection.
For a left turn, the example compares the time needed to clear an opposing vehicle's path with that vehicle's arrival time. The illustrated timings are a coaching comparison, not a fixed safe-gap rule for every speed and intersection.
After the full stop, pedestrian checks, and shoulder check, assess the traffic approaching from the left. Unlike simply crossing an oncoming path, turning right puts you into that traffic's lane, so you need room to reach an appropriate speed.
The next examples show turns taken too close to approaching traffic. Leave enough room for the entire manoeuvre and acceleration, without forcing another driver to brake or change course. Being able to narrowly avoid a collision does not make a gap safe.
Seeing any distant car is not a reason to reject every gap, but urgency is not a reason to force a short one. Practice reading traffic speed and available space so your decisions are both safe and predictable.
Book a North Vancouver driving lesson with Zula and work on the skills covered in this guide.