U turns and turnabouts — Colorado Permit Test

A U-turn is forbidden unless it can be made without endangering other motorists and their passengers, and is not allowed where marked by a No U-turn sign.

A U-turn crosses every lane and takes longer than any other maneuver. The test is whether anybody else is put at risk by it.

U-turns are forbidden unless they can be made without endangering other motorists and their passengers, and are not allowed in locations marked by No U-turn signs

If you cannot safely make a U-turn, continue to the next street or turn around area, and never try to make a sudden U-turn in front of traffic traveling in either direction.

Nothing is lost by driving another block. A U-turn that surprises traffic in either direction is the worst version of the maneuver.

If you cannot safely make a U-turn, continue to the next street or turn around area

A two-point turnabout uses a street, alley or driveway to reverse the direction you are traveling when it is not practical or possible to drive around a block.

Going round the block is safer and almost always possible. The two-point turn is what is left when it is not.

In this type of turn, a street, alley or driveway is used to reverse the direction you are traveling when it is not practical or possible to drive around a block.

In a forward two-point turnabout you check the mirrors, signal left, turn into the driveway or alley as near as possible to the right side, and stop as the rear of your vehicle clears the curb.

Pulling in nose first lets you back out looking over your shoulder into the lane, rather than reversing blind into traffic.

Move close to the center of the road and turn into the driveway or alley as near as possible to the right side.

In a three-point turnabout, activate your left turn signal at least 200 feet before the turn, or a minimum of three seconds, and check traffic and any blind spots.

Two hundred feet is a long way on a two-lane road, and you are about to block both lanes. The signal is the only warning the driver behind gets.

Activate your left turn signal at least 200 feet before the turn, or a minimum of three seconds, and check traffic and any blind spots

When is a U-turn allowed in Colorado?

When it endangers nobody and no sign forbids it. A U-turn crosses every lane and takes longer than any other maneuver. The test is whether anybody else is put at risk by it. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.13: “U-turns are forbidden unless they can be made without endangering other motorists and their passengers, and are not allowed in locations marked by No U-turn signs”