Approaching Junctions

The key to dealing with all junctions safely is the Mirror Signal Maneuver routine. When you first see the junction you should check the mirrors to assess the speed and position of following traffic. Look for the speed, type and density of traffic on the road you are joining, the width and gradient of the road and the presence of other road users, particularly pedestrians. Look out for other road users ahead of you in your own road and in the road you will be joining.

Turning Left
You must decide whether a signal is necessary and if it is, when you should give it. Unless road markings and signs clearly indicate that you can only turn one way, in a filter lane for example, you should give a signal. Timing the signal is important. If you give your signal too soon, another road user may think you intend to stop or turn into property bordering the road. If there are side roads before the junction at which you will be turning, particularly care in the timing of signals is needed. After giving your left signal we then come on to the manoeuvre part of the MSM routine. A manoeuvre can be broken down into position, speed and look.. So MSM becomes Mirrors Signal Position Speed (Gear) Look.

Position
You need to make sure you are positioned correctly. For a left turn it may not be necessary to adjust position since we want to be about a meter from the kerb to take the corner, which is normal road position. If you do need to change course slightly, first check your exterior mirror in the direction you intend to move.

Speed
Once in position you will need to adjust your speed. Ease off the gas pedal to begin with, but use the footbrake in good time so that following traffic has enough time to react to your stop light signals. You should not slow down too soon. Apart from frustrating following drivers, they may be tempted to overtake you, which would be dangerous with a junction ahead. As you get nearer to the junction, you may need to change gear to give you better control of the car.

The speed at which you approach the junction and the gear you select will depend on what you can see and the angle through which you need to turn. Second gear is the most versatile and may suffice for most junctions, but you may select first gear if the angle of your turn into the new road is very shallow. Whichever gear you select, remember it is acceptable and just as safe to miss out a gear on approach. You do not need to change through the gears in order. Whichever gear you select, make sure you actually use it! You must not "coast" around the corner with the clutch down. Coasting reduces your control of both braking and steering. When making the turn, the engine should drive your car. This means that you should have enough gas set to be just pulling the car around the corner.

Look
Take particular care with cyclists. If you see a cyclist on approach, hang back until you are sure of his or her intentions. You must not overtake the cyclist and then cut in ahead to make your turn. Before you turn left, check your left side exterior mirror for cyclists alongside the car. This is particularly important in slow moving traffic.

As you are slowing down and changing gear, you should still be watching the corner for more information. before you turn you must look as far into the new road as you can, and then decide whether or not it is safe to proceed. Look out for and danger from emerging traffic, or obstructions just around the corner.
Be particularly careful about pedestrians. Pedestrians are very vulnerable at junctions and you will need to anticipate their movements on the assumption that they may not have seen you. Take particular care with infirm, elderly or young people. If the pedestrian has started to cross the road you are entering, you must always give way to them. If the pedestrian hesitates after stepping out onto the road, try and establish eye contact and allow the pedestrian time to decide whether to proceed or wait. DO NOT beckon the pedestrian to cross.

The point of turn is when the front of your car reaches the corner. You must not turn too soon because of the danger that the rear wheels may take a short cut across the kerb. Neither should you swing out just before turning, you could move into the path of a vehicle which has begun to overtake you. Once you have joined the minor road you need to make progress. This means checking your mirrors and the road ahead and acting safely and sensibly on what you see fit in with the new road and traffic conditions.

Turning right
You will be crossing the path of approaching traffic. You will need to decide whether it is safe to proceed or not, which requires sound judgment of the speed and distance of approaching traffic. When crossing the path of other traffic you must not cause vehicles to slow down or swerve to avoid you. If you are in any doubt about whether to proceed it is safest to wait, but as a guide, imagine yourself as a pedestrian waiting to cross the road. If you could walk across, you should be able to drive across safely.

Crossing the path of other traffic, you must take effective observation, looking out for moving and stationary hazards that could hinder your progress before starting the turn. Remember that when you join the new road you can only travel as fast as the vehicle ahead of you. If it is slow moving and very close to the junction you need to ask yourself whether you can get the whole of the car clear of approaching traffic as you turn. Similarly you need to anticipate the actions of pedestrians at the mouth of a junction. Remember that you must give way to pedestrians when turning into a new road. This could be highly dangerous for you, the approaching traffic and the pedestrian.

If you need to stop for approaching traffic, you must keep to your own side of the road. Stop in position so that the front of your car is just before the centre of the road you intend to turn into. Do not proceed until you are sure it is safe. If in doubt about going, be patient and wait. You should not normally give way to traffic emerging to turn right unless you can see good reasons that you will not be able to commence your turn soon. For example, a queue of traffic on the left of the new road.
You should begin turning in good time to avoid the danger of over steering or clipping the kerb in the new road. How soon you being turning will depend on the widths of the roads you are leaving and entering. As a guide, the front of your car should be about level with the centre of the road you are joining before you commence the turn. You must not cut the corner by turning too soon. this would place you dangerously in the path of approaching traffic in the new road. In some situations, a right corner cut is unavoidable because of the angle of the road and obstructions near the mouth of the junction. In these circumstances you need to be absolutely sure there is no danger to traffic on the right hand carriageway of the road you are turning into. If necessary, hold back from the junction so that the traffic emerging right can get clear of your intended path.


If it is safe to proceed at a give way line, drive around the corner. If you are in any doubt about emerging, be patient and wait. You can only do this if your eyes are level with all obstacles at the mouth of the junction. This is the final 'look' position in the MSPSL routine. At give way lines, if you cannot get your eyes level with all obstructions before reaching the end of the road you should stop before the line and then edge out slowly until you can see. If necessary lean forwards so that the front of the car needn't stick out an interfere with the traffic flow.
A good way to remember this is 'peep and creep'.Stop lines are found at places where your vision zone is so limited that the decision had been made for you that you need to stop before the line and then edge out slowly to take effective observation. Before you turn you must look as far into the new road as you can, and then decide whether or not it is safe to proceed. Look out for any danger from approaching traffic or obstructions just around the corner. Be particularly careful about pedestrians.The point of turn is when the front of your car reaches the corner. You must not turn too soon because of the danger that the rear wheels may take a short cut across the kerb. Neither should you swing out just before turning, this could put you into the path of approaching traffic. Try to follow the line of the kerb. You will only be able to do this if you have slowed down enough on approach.

Once you have joined the minor road, you need to make progress. This means checking your mirrors and the road ahead and acting safely and sensibly on what you see to fit in with the new road and traffic conditions.

Emerging From Junctions

Emerging is what we do when we come to the end of a minor road and turn left or right into a major road. As you approach the end of a road, you may see road signs and markings which inform you of the layout of the junction ahead. These may be red-bordered triangular warning signs, road markings or information signs. All are warnings of possible danger ahead and call for good anticipation and forward planning. A Give Way sign is an inverted triangle with the words "Give Way". At marked junctions where you have to give way, you will see a double dashed white line across the left carriageway ahead of you. Before the line, you may also see an inverted white triangle painted on the road, which is advance warning of the give way line. Giving way means that you must give priority to traffic already on the road you intend to enter. However, provided that you can emerge without causing and danger or inconvenience to other road users, you do not have to stop.

A Stop Sign is a red octagonal sign with the word "Stop" in white lettering. It will be accompanied by a solid white stop line across the left carriageway ahead of you and you may see the word "STOP" painted on the road before the stop line. You must always obey the Stop sign, whatever the reason that you cannot decide to go on without first stopping to get a good view of the road you are entering. Unmarked junctions are usually found on the quieter roads and should be treated with special care. The only advance warning you may have of these junctions is traffic crossing or joining your road ahead. Never assume that you have priority at a junction without signs or road markings.

Signal
You must decide whether a signal is necessary and if it is, when you should give it. Unless road markings and signs clearly indicate that you can only turn one way, in a filter lane for example, you should give a signal. Timing the signal is important. if you give your signal too soon, another road user may think you intend to stop or turn into property bordering the road. If there are side roads before the junction at which you will be turning, particularly are in the timing of signals is needed.

Position
You need to make sure you are positioned correctly. For a left turn it may not be necessary to adjust position, since we want to be about a metre from the kerb to take the corner, which is our normal road position. If you do need to change course slightly, first check your exterior mirror in the direction you intend to move. For a right turn you will need to take up a position to the right of the centre line if the road is wide enough, if not you will have to judge your position according to the width of the road.

Speed
Once in position, you will need to adjust your speed. Ease off the gas pedal to begin with, but use the footbrake in good time so that following traffic has enough time to react to your stop light signals. You should not slow down so late that you end up braking as you make the turn, nor must you slow down too soon. Apart from frustrating following drivers, they may be tempted to overtake you, which would be dangerous with a junction ahead.
As you get nearer to the junction, you may need to change gear to give you better control of the car. The speed at which you approach the junction and the gear you select, will depend on what you can see and the angle through which you need to turn. Second gear is the most versatile and may suffice for most junctions, but you may select first gear if the angle of your turn into the new road is very sharp.
Whichever gear you select, remember it is acceptable and just as safe to miss out a gear on approach. You do not need to change through the gears in order. When you have selected a gear, make sure you actually use it! You must not "coast" around the corner with the clutch down. Coasting reduces your control of both braking and steering. When making the turn, the engine should drive your car. This means that you should have enough gas set to be just pulling the car around the corner.


Take particular care with cyclists. If you see a cyclist on approach, hang back until you are sure of his or her intentions. You must not overtake the cyclist and then cut in ahead to make your turn. Before you turn left, check your left side exterior mirror for cyclists alongside the car. This is particularly important in slow moving traffic. As you are slowing down and changing gear, you should still be looking at the junction for more information. On approach to a T-junction, your view of the new road may be restricted by obstacles at the side of the road, such as, parked cars, fences or pedestrians on the footpaths. The view you have into the new road, is your zone of vision.

As you approach the junction, look ahead, at the mouth of the junction and into the main road. Keep scanning right and left as you get nearer to the end of your road and your zone of vision will get wider. It is important that you take effective observation before you emerge. This means assessing the position, speed and likely movements of other road users. When emerging you MUST NOT cause another driver or rider to slow down or swerve to avoid you. Remember that it takes time to complete the manoeuvre of turning left or right. If it is safe to proceed at a give way line, drive around the corner. If you are in any doubt about emerging, be patient and wait.

Look
You can only do this if your eyes are level with all obstacles at the mouth of the junction. This is the final 'look' position in the MSPSL routine. At give way lines, if you cannot get your eyes level with all obstructions before reaching the end of the road, you should stop before the line and then edge out slowly until you can see. If necessary lean forwards, so that the front of the car needn't stick out an interfere with the traffic flow. A good way to remember this is 'peep and creep'.

Stop lines are found at places where your vision zone is so limited, that the decision had been made for you that you need to stop before the line and then edge out slowly to take effective observation. Before you turn, you must look as far into the new road as you can, and then decide whether or not it is safe to proceed. Look out for any danger from approaching traffic, or obstructions just around the corner. Be particularly careful about pedestrians.

Pedestrians are very vulnerable at junctions and you will need to anticipate their movements on the assumption that they may not have seen you. Take particular care with infirm, elderly or young people. If the pedestrian has started to cross the road you are joining, you must always give way to them. If the pedestrian hesitates after stepping onto the road, try and establish eye contact and allow the pedestrian time to decide whether to proceed or wait. DO NOT beckon the pedestrian to cross. The point of turn is when the front of your car reaches the corner. You must not turn too soon because of the danger that the rear wheels may take a short cut across the kerb. Neither should you swing out just before turning, this could put you into the path of approaching traffic. Try to follow the line of the kerb. You will only be able to do this if you have slowed down enough on approach.

Once you have joined the minor road you need to make progress. This means checking your mirrors and the road ahead and acting safely and sensibly on what you see to fit in with the new road and traffic conditions.

Steven....