Turns and signals — Idaho Permit Test

Signals must start at least 100 feet before you turn or change lanes in a business or residential area, or five seconds before on a freeway or highway.

The distance is short in town because speeds are; on a highway the same warning takes five seconds of travel.

Signals must start at least 100 feet (in business or residential areas) or five seconds (on freeways or highways) before you turn or change lanes

On a freeway or highway, signals must start at least five seconds before you turn or change lanes.

Five seconds is long enough for the driver in the next lane to notice and decide what to do about it.

or five seconds (on freeways or highways) before you turn or change lanes

Always use a turn signal when you change lanes, pass another vehicle, exit a roundabout, turn at an intersection or into a driveway, join or leave a freeway, pull away from a parked position, or pull over to the side.

Everything on that list moves the car sideways into road somebody else may be using.

Pull away from a parked position along a road or street to enter the traffic lane

If you plan to turn just beyond an intersection, signal just after you pass through it so you do not confuse other drivers.

Signaling early tells everyone at the intersection you are turning there, and they will pull out in front of you.

signal just after you pass through the intersection so you won't confuse other drivers

The correct arm signal for a left turn is your arm and hand extended straight out of the window.

Arm signals still matter when a bulb has failed, and they are checked at the skills test.

Left: Your arm and hand extended straight out the window

The correct arm signal for a right turn is your arm and hand extended upward out the window.

Up means right and down means slow, and mixing them tells the driver behind the opposite of what you mean.

Right: Your arm and hand extended upward out the window

The correct arm signal for slowing or stopping is your arm and hand extended downward out of the window.

It is the signal that replaces a failed brake light, which is the one failure the driver cannot see.

Slow or Stop: Your arm and hand extended downward out the window

For a right turn, approach the intersection in the right-hand lane staying as close to the right curb as is reasonable, and turn into the right-hand lane of the cross street without swinging wide.

Swinging wide takes the car into the next lane of the street being entered, where somebody is already driving.

Then turn into the right-hand lane of the cross street. Do not swing wide

Watch for bicycles approaching from the right between your vehicle and the curb before turning right.

That is the space a right turn closes, and a cyclist in it has nowhere to go.

Watch for bicycles that are approaching from the right between your vehicle and the curb

For a left turn, approach the intersection in the lane closest to the left that is open to traffic going your direction, and on a two-lane road move to the left side of your lane.

Positioning early tells oncoming drivers what you are doing and keeps the traffic behind you moving.

If you are on a two-lane road, you should move to the left side of your lane

When making a left turn, yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and oncoming vehicles, and when it is safe turn into the nearest lane going the direction you want.

Turning into the far lane crosses a lane of traffic that is already moving, on top of the turn itself.

When safe, turn into the nearest lane where traffic moves in the direction you want to go

Vehicles in the left lane must turn left; vehicles in the right lane may turn left or continue straight ahead, and vehicles turning left must stay in their lane of travel until the turn is complete.

Two cars turning left side by side both have to hold their line, or they meet halfway through.

Vehicles turning left must remain in their lane of travel until after completing the turn

U-turns are not legal where no U-turn signs are posted.

The sign is the whole of the rule at that spot, and the turn it forbids crosses every lane of the road.

U-turns are not legal if no U-turn signs are posted

A U-turn may not be made on a curve, at or near the crest of a hill where the vehicle cannot be seen by approaching vehicles within 500 feet, or in a no passing zone.

A U-turn is slow, and it has to happen where a driver arriving has enough road to stop.

where the vehicle cannot be seen by approaching vehicles from either direction within 500 feet

Stop and yield to all traffic before completing a U-turn.

The turn takes the car across every lane, so all of them have to be clear before it starts.

Stop and yield to all traffic before completing a U-turn

Many motor vehicle crashes are caused by improper turns.

A turn takes a car across a path other traffic is using, which is what makes it the most exposed thing an ordinary driver does.

Many motor vehicle crashes are caused by improper turns

When turning around, pull to the far right edge of the road and stop, check the front, the rear and your left-rear blind spot, and if clear signal and turn sharply left while moving slowly.

The blind spot on the left is where the car you are about to turn in front of will be.

Check to the front and rear of vehicle, and your left-rear blind spot

How far before turning must an Idaho driver signal in a business or residential area?

At least 100 feet. The distance is short in town because speeds are; on a highway the same warning takes five seconds of travel. July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.72: “Signals must start at least 100 feet (in business or residential areas) or five seconds (on freeways or highways) before you turn or change lanes”