Preparing to turn — New York Permit Test
Preparing to turn on the New York permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
When preparing to turn a driver should reduce their speed and be alert for traffic on all sides, taking special caution to check for motorcycles.
Most crashes between a car and a motorcycle happen because the driver did not see the bike.
Be alert for traffic on all sides. Take special caution to check for motorcycles.
A driver should keep their wheels straight until they actually begin a turn, because turned wheels can push the vehicle into the oncoming lane if it is hit from behind.
A car waiting with the wheels turned is aimed at oncoming traffic. One bump sends it there.
Keep your wheels straight until you actually begin to make your turn. If your wheels are turned, and you are hit from behind, your vehicle could be pushed into the oncoming lane of traffic.
The rear wheels of a vehicle travel inside the path of the front wheels, nearer to the curb on a right turn and nearer to traffic headed toward the driver on a left turn.
The back of the car cuts the corner the front just made. That is what clips a curb.
Remember that your rear wheels will travel inside the path of the front wheels, nearer to the curb (right turn) or to traffic headed toward you (left turn).
A driver should watch for pedestrians, bicyclists and moped riders, especially on right turns, because they are often difficult to see in traffic.
A cyclist beside the car sits in the spot a mirror misses. A right turn drives into it.
Watch for pedestrians, bicyclists and moped riders, especially on right turns. They are often difficult to see in traffic.
On the test
What should a driver check for with special care before turning?
Motorcycles on all sides. Most crashes between a car and a motorcycle happen because the driver did not see the bike. New York State Driver's Manual, p.36: “Be alert for traffic on all sides. Take special caution to check for motorcycles.”
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
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against New York State Driver's Manual, published by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-15.