Turning & emerging (T-junctions) to the Left and Right.
These are the most commonly thought of uses for the M.S.P.S.L routine. That routine is central to safely completing any junction. When emerging it is worth remembering that there may be different lines and/or signs at the end of the road. If the end of the road is marked and/or signed as a 'give way' then you do not need to stop unless it is necessary to do so. If the end of the road is marked and/or signed as a 'Stop' then you have to bring the vehicle to a standstill before moving off again irrespective of whether there is anything coming.
Turning left.
The instruction will be, 'Please take the next road on the left'.
Mirrors - in pairs, centre and left.
Signal - to the left because you have to if you are turning into a different road.
Position - the vehicle as normal because you are turning left.
Speed - should be reduced gently in advance whilst keeping both hands on the steering wheel until we are going slowly enough to change the gear. For a left turn the gear will normally be second.
Look - early. You will have started looking for the junction as soon as the command was given. Keep looking for hazards while you complete the turn.
As you straighten up in the new road you should complete a full set of mirror checks and make progress to a suitable speed.
Emerging left.
The instruction will be, 'At the end of the road I would like you to turn to the left please'.
Mirrors - in pairs, centre and left.
Signal - to the left because you have to if you are turning into a different road.
Position - the vehicle as normal because you are turning left. Remember that when you get to the corner you need to steer around it on approach to the line rather than stopping at right angles to the line.
Speed - should be reduced gently in advance whilst keeping both hands on the steering wheel until we are going slowly enough to change the gear. For an emerge the gear will normally be the rolling first. If you have to stop make sure that you are behind the line. 'Peep & Creep' if necessary.
Look - early. You will have started looking at the junction as soon as the command was given. Keep looking for hazards while you complete the turn.
For an emerge it is only necessary to stop at the end of the road if there is a reason to, such as oncoming traffic or a stop sign. The rolling first is especially useful here because you can stop if necessary but at the same time you are prepared to go.
The gap that you choose to emerge into has to be big enough that while you are accelerating to a suitable road speed you do not force another road user to change either speed or direction.
As you straighten up in the new road you should complete a full set of mirror checks and make progress to a suitable speed.
Turning right.
The instruction will be, 'I would like you to take the next road on the right please'.
Mirrors - in pairs, centre and right.
Signal - to the right because you have to if you are turning into a different road.
Position - the vehicle by the white line without crossing it (or middle of the road if there isn't one).
Speed - should be reduced gently in advance whilst keeping both hands on the steering wheel until we are going slowly enough to change the gear. For a right turn the gear will normally be either second if there is no oncoming traffic or the rolling first if there is. If you have to stop then the position is critical to your completion of the turn. You should try to stop just before where you would normally turn the wheel if there were nothing coming. This is to compensate for the slight forward movement that usually happens before turning the wheel.
Look - early. You will have started looking for the junction as soon as the command was given. Keep looking for hazards while you complete the turn. Oncoming traffic is the most obvious, followed by parked cars in the new road or pedestrians that may look as if they are about to cross. If there is any doubt about safely completing the turn then don't. Wait until it is safe. Make sure that you do not cut the corner when you complete your turn; ideally you want to straighten the vehicle into the proper position on the road.
As you straighten up in the new road you should complete a full set of mirror checks and make progress to a suitable speed.
Emerging right.
The instruction will be, 'At the end of the road I would like you to turn to the right please'.
Mirrors - in pairs, centre and right.
Signal - to the right because you have to if you are turning into a different road.
Position - the vehicle by the white line without crossing it (or the middle of the road if there isn't one). When you get to the end of the road you need to be in the corner of the lines.
Speed - should be reduced gently in advance whilst keeping both hands on the steering wheel until we are going slowly enough to change the gear. For an emerge the gear will normally be the rolling first. If you have to stop make sure that you are behind the line. 'Peep & Creep' if necessary.
Look - early. You will have started looking at the junction as soon as the command was given. Keep looking for hazards while you complete the turn. For an emerge it is only necessary to stop at the end of the road if there is a reason to, such as oncoming traffic or a stop sign. The rolling first is especially useful here because you can stop if necessary but at the same time you are prepared to go. When you do move off remember to move forward slightly before turning the wheel, and that you should straighten up into the correct driving position in the new road.
As you straighten up in the new road you should complete a full set of mirror checks and make progress to a suitable speed.
Crossing traffic.
Crossing Traffic is the art of crossing the oncoming traffic without making other road users change either speed or direction.
If you are emerging to the right then you need a gap in the traffic from your right big enough to cross, and a gap in the traffic from the left big enough to allow you to build up your speed without hindering the other road users.
If you are turning right from a major road into a minor road then you have to successfully cross the oncoming traffic. On approach to the junction, you will be assessing the oncoming traffic for a large enough gap. If there isn't one then do a rolling first and wait by the white line.
As a general rule of thumb. When you see a gap approaching, if you feel that you could confidently cross in that gap as a pedestrian then you are safe to use that gap in the car. it takes only two or three seconds to cross approaching traffic whereas it takes longer to build up speed (make progress) in a new road.
