Updated at: 04-06-2022 - By: Lucas

A five-point turn, also called a Y turn or K turn, is a way to turn around in the middle of a narrow road.

It is usually used when there is nowhere safe to turn around on a long stretch of road.

The five-point turn, also called the 5-point turnaround, is a 3-point turn with a few changes.

It uses the same general method as a 3-point turn, but the car has to go backwards an extra time to make up for the limited space.

It looks like this –

Capture

It is especially important to know how to do a 5-point turn on roads with drop-offs. If you turn too far in either direction, you could go off the road.

How To Do a 5-Point Turn (5-Point Turn Steps)

A Y-turn, which has five points, starts the same way as a three-point turn.

To turn the car as far as possible on the first leg, you have to make a strong turn while backing up, a strong turn while moving forward again, another strong turn while backing up, and then a final strong turn forward into the lane.

To perform a five-point turnaround:

Look as far ahead as you can and check your rearview and side mirrors to make sure the road in front of you and behind you is clear. (Because it takes a few seconds, you should only do a five-point turn when the road is empty.)

Pull as close as you can to the side of the road you are on. Make sure to leave at least a couple inches of space at the edge so your tyres have room to turn. Before making the turn, it’s a good idea to stop at this point and check the road and mirrors again.

As you step on the gas, sharply turn your steering wheel to the left. This will turn you toward the other side of the road. Try to make this turn as tight as you can.

Stop before you go off the road on the other side. Leave a few inches of space in front of your car to be safe. Your tyre on the passenger side will be closest to the road’s edge.

Put the car in reverse and press the gas while sharply turning the steering wheel to the right. Back up until the tyre you can see (the driver’s side tyre) is just a few inches from the edge of the road.

Give the car back to the driver. Sharply turn the wheel to the left. Pull your car forward again, leaving enough room in front of it so you won’t go off the road.

Bring the car back around. Sharply turn the wheel to the right. Move your car in reverse until the driver’s side tyre is just a few inches from the edge of the road. (At this point, you should have enough space to turn fully into the lane you want to travel in. If not, go forward and back as many times as you need to make sure you have enough room to turn into the lane.)

Set the car’s gear to “drive.” Keep going forward in the right lane.

5-point Turn Driving Test

No state’s driving test needs you to do a five-point turn.

Some states, on the other hand, don’t let you parallel park. Instead, you have to do a three-point turn.

Even so, you might still have to do a five-point turn on your driving test.

You can pass this part of the test if you know what to do if you get stuck in a 3-point turn because your turns aren’t tight enough or the road is too narrow.

For a driving test, it doesn’t hurt to practise both a three-point turn and a five-point turn.

If you don’t do the three-point turn perfectly, not all testers will let you pass, but some will. And it’s a good skill to have if you want to drive.

Risks of a Five-Point Turn

The most dangerous way to turn around while driving is to do it in the middle of the road.

The more turns that roundabout has, the more dangerous it is.

The most dangerous part of a 5-point turn is how long your car stays in the middle of the road.

Just like when you do a three-point turn, you block BOTH lanes of traffic when you do a five-point turn.

Because of this, you must always watch for cars on both sides of the road.

Ideally, you wouldn’t use this turn unless you were on a road with few businesses or homes and nowhere else to go back.

If there are other roads or driveways nearby, it is almost always safer to do a two-point turn.

Five-point turns are good for roads with little traffic and good visibility when there are no other options.