Teaching Your Teen To Drive: Objective # 3 - Taking Turns

"Knowledge is gained by learning; trust by doubt; skill by practice; and love by love." ~ Thomas S. Szasz

How does a parent go about teaching a brand new, inexperienced driver how to make proper turns?

Here are the step by step instructions:

#1 - Get behind the wheel to show and explain the proper steps for turning corners. Tell your student when and where to start turning and how to straighten the front wheels for coming out of a turn. Have the kid watch your hands as well as the road.

For a left turn you might use the following script while you demonstrate:

Check your rear view mirror and signal your turn at least 100 feet (about two houses) before the intersection.

Slow down as you approach the intersection and position your car next to the center line as you get closer to the corner.

Look left for cross traffic, look right for cross traffic, look across the intersection for oncoming traffic, and look to your left a second time.

When it is safe to do so - drive to the point where your steering wheel is even with the left corner curb (that straight line of concrete to our left), look out the drivers side window, and begin steering into the lane just to the right of the yellow (center) line.

You should move your eyes towards the right (out the front windshield) as the car progresses into the turn.

Just before the front of the car is perfectly straight begin begin steering back to the right until the car is moving forward in a straight line.

By the way, you're going to have to take very slow turns if you're going to coordinate the words with the actions during the demonstration.

#2 - Find a good place to turn the car over to your new driver. If you can find an empty parking lot, mark out a 200' by 200' rectangle and mark the corners with orange safety cones (or sand filled bottles). If you can't find a parking lot, find a quiet neighborhood with straight streets and 90 degree intersections.

#3 - Review the lessons from Starting and Stopping. Afterwards have the student demonstrate the hand-over-hand technique while the selector lever is in park and engine idles. Then have the student start making left turns very slowly. You can coach by telling him where to start steering, when to hold the steering wheel in place, and when to start straightening. You should be ready to assist his steering with your left hand.

#4 - After making the first few turns begin emphasizing proper eye habits. Learning to visualize the proper turn path and "looking into and through the turn" are essential to making smooth and precise turns.

#5 - Practice right turns in the same manner. Remember to keep things slow.

#6 - If you've been working in a parking lot up to this point, move the lesson out into the streets. It's time to start practicing proper positioning and signalling in a quiet, low traffic area. Your job just became more complicated because now you have to watch the traffic in addition to coaching. Take an aspirin or two.

#7 - You can begin to gradually speed up the maneuvers. The timing of the steering and braking is closely tied to the speed of the car. The faster your student drives the more difficult the turns become.

#8 - Your teen should learn that the time to begin the straightening process is when the front wheels, not the hood, start to point down the street being turned into.

#9 - Progress to areas where you can take a variety of turns. Your teen should learn how to turn from the halt, while moving, when positioned on a hill top, when positioned at the base of a hill, at corners with both sharp and rounded curbs, and from narrow streets to wide streets.

Have fun. And remember this takes time.

See also:

Help! My Teens Are Taking Killer Turns!! Part I

Help! My Teens Are Taking Killer Turns!! Part II

Help! My Teens Are Making Killer Turns!! Part I

Dear Mr. Driving Instructor:

I'm having all kinds of trouble getting my son John-Boy to take left turns correctly.

John-Boy has trouble staying out of the oncoming lane when he makes left turns. He always ends up straddling the yellow line and then has to slide back to the right. We've almost had a few head on collisions. Driving with John-Boy makes my hair stand on end! I really dread those left turns of his.

How do I get him to do it right every time?

A Scared and Desperate Dad


Dear Scared and Desperate Dad,

It would be better if I could be in the car with your son before I diagnose his driving problems, however from what you describe it sounds like John-Boy might be suffering from one of the following:

1. He could be initiating his steering too soon. Does he begin to turn the steering wheel for these left turns before your vehicle's front end has entered the intersection? If so he is beginning the turn too early. He ought to wait until his steering wheel is even with the the near curb of the road he is turning into. This ensures that his vehicles nose has entered the intersection and gives him a better angle of approach on that right lane.

2. It could be that John-Boy is approaching the turn at an excessive speed. The target speed for most turns is 10 miles an hour. If he's not slowing down as he approaches the turn, he's probably rushing his steering. (See paragraph above) Make sure he's tapered the car's speed down to 10 mph by the time the front end of your car is even with the cross walk before the intersection you're turning into. (Assuming there is no stop sign, pedestrians or vehicular traffic in his path of travel.)

3. If John-Boy is not guilty of either of the first two infractions, it could be that he is simply over-steering. You can help him cure this by reminding him to turn his head to the left and look into his intended path of travel before he starts moving his hands to steer into it. He's got to be aiming at the right lane before he can take the car there. Remember people tend to steer towards where they are looking. Have him look at the right place and the car will go there. Too many new drivers just fixate on the area directly in front of them by looking exclusively over the hood. Make him move his head and eyes to the left before he moves the steering wheel and that should cure his over-steering problems.

Happy Motoring,

The Driving Instructor