Left turns — Colorado Permit Test

Left turns on the Colorado permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Crashes are very common during left turns because drivers must see, judge and navigate oncoming traffic and pedestrians at the same time.

A left turn asks you to do three hard things at once while sitting still in the path of traffic. That is why so many go wrong.

Crashes are very common during left turns as drivers must see, judge and navigate oncoming traffic and pedestrians also navigating the intersection

Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13

When turning left you should wait at the stop line or crosswalk until there is a gap in oncoming traffic large enough to complete the turn safely.

Waiting behind the line keeps you out of the way of everything crossing. The gap you need is longer than most drivers think.

When turning left, you should wait at the stop line or crosswalk until there is enough of a gap in oncoming traffic large enough to allow you to complete your turn safely

Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13

Pulling into the intersection while waiting to turn left blocks it for emergency vehicles, limits visibility for oncoming traffic, and puts you in a position to be hit if the light changes.

Sitting in the intersection feels like getting a head start. It is really standing in the middle of everybody else’s path.

Pulling into the intersection while waiting to turn left blocks the intersection for emergency vehicles, limits visibility for oncoming traffic and puts you in a position to get in a collision if the light changes and oncoming traffic runs the red light while you turn.

Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13

Never turn the front wheels toward the left while waiting to turn left, because if you are rear ended you would be pushed into oncoming traffic.

Your car goes wherever the wheels point when something hits it. Pointed left, that is into the lane coming at you.

If you are rear ended, you would be pushed into oncoming traffic

Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13

On the test

Why are left turns a common source of crashes?

They need judging traffic and people at once. A left turn asks you to do three hard things at once while sitting still in the path of traffic. That is why so many go wrong. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13: “Crashes are very common during left turns as drivers must see, judge and navigate oncoming traffic and pedestrians also navigating the intersection”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Colorado Driver Handbook, published by the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.