U-turns And Three-point Turns | NSW Government

Skip to navigation Skip to content close Close Menu

• Living in NSW keyboard_arrow_right close Close Menu keyboard_arrow_left Living in NSWBack to previous menu Living in NSWeast
  • Aboriginal information and services
  • Community services
  • Driving, boating and transport
  • Education and training
  • Emergency
  • Environment, land and water
  • Family and relationships
  • Grants and funding
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Housing and construction
  • Legal and justice
  • Life Events
  • Regional and primary industries
  • Visas and migration
  Popular right now
  • NSW school holidayseast
  • NSW public holidayseast
  • NSW Governmenteast
  • NSW Digital IDeast
  Living in NSW
• Working and business keyboard_arrow_right close Close Menu keyboard_arrow_left Working and businessBack to previous menu Working and businesseast
  • Aboriginal information and services
  • Business and economy
  • Education and training
  • Employment
  • Grants and funding
  • Money and taxes
  • Visas and migration
  Popular right now
  • NSW skills listseast
  • Department of Customer Service careerseast
  • Working interstateeast
  Working and business
• What's happening keyboard_arrow_right close Close Menu keyboard_arrow_left What's happeningBack to previous menu What's happeningeast
  • About NSW
  • Arts and culture
  • Events in NSW
  • Visiting and exploring NSW
  • NSW public holidays
  • NSW school holidays
  Popular right now
  • NSW map catalogueeast
  • Visit Sydneyeast
  • Visit regional NSWeast
  • Walks near meeast
  What's happening
• Have your say
• Easy Read

1. Home
2. Driving, boating and transport
3. Roads safety and rules
4. Stopping, giving way, turning
5. U-turns, three-point turns

On this page

U-turns

You must not make a U-turn:

• at intersections without traffic lights where there’s a ‘No U-turn’ sign
• at intersections with traffic lights, unless there’s a ‘U-turn permitted’ sign
• across a single unbroken dividing line or double unbroken dividing line
• across double dividing lines with an unbroken line closer to you
• on motorways and freeways.

U-turn signs

The ‘No U-turn’ sign is a regulatory sign and must be obeyed by law.

You can make a U-turn at traffic lights where this sign is displayed.

Making a U-turn

When making a U-turn, you must:

• have a clear view of approaching traffic
• start your U-turn from the marked lane nearest to the centre of the road
• start your U-turn to the left of the centre of the road if there are no lane markings
• make the turn without obstructing traffic
• give way to vehicles and pedestrians
• indicate before you start to turn.

After you turn, check your mirrors and blind spots again, indicate, and only pull out when it’s clear and safe.

Three-point turns

You can do a three-point turn when a road is not wide enough to do a U-turn. It’s called a three-point turn because you usually need to do at least three turns to face the opposite direction.

A three-point turn generally takes longer to do than a U-turn. When you’re in heavy traffic or on a busy road, it’s safer to drive around the block or use a roundabout to turn around.

U-turns road safety video

videocam Close(Press escape to close)Video transcript

Road rules: u-turns

U-turns.

Making a u-turn. When making a u-turn, you must have a clear view of any approaching traffic, and be able to make the turn without unreasonably obstructing the free movement of traffic. You must also give way to all vehicles and pedestrians.

You are not allowed to make a u-turn when, a no u-turn sign is displayed, across a single continuous dividing line, across a single continuous dividing line to the left of a broken line, across two parallel continuous dividing lines.

U-turns at traffic lights. You must not make a u-turn at traffic lights unless there is a u-turn permitted sign displayed.

Related information

• Road lines and markings

Stopping, giving way, turning

• Stop, give way signs, lines
• Traffic lights
• Roundabouts
• Intersections
• Indicating and turning
• U-turns, three-point turns
• One-way streets
• Pedestrian crossings
• Narrow bridges, roads
• Railway level crossings

Top of page north