Two point turnabout — South Dakota Permit Test

Two point turnabout on the South Dakota permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

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

Turning around in the open road blocks both lanes at once while cars come from each way.

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.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38

In a reverse two-point turnabout, you back up until the rear bumper reaches the near edge of the driveway, then steer all the way to the right while backing slowly.

Backing too early or too late puts your rear wheels over the curb or into the ditch beside the drive.

Move back until the rear bumper of the vehicle reaches the near edge of the driveway.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38

To finish a reverse two-point turnabout, shift to drive, check both directions, then signal and turn left into the proper lane.

Pulling out of a driveway without looking both ways puts you in front of a car you never saw.

If it is clear, signal and turn left into the proper lane and accelerate as appropriate.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38

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

Stopping with your rear end still in the road leaves it sticking into the lane for the next car to hit.

Stop as the rear of the vehicle clears the curb or edge of the driveway.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38

In a forward two-point turnabout, back out slowly while turning the steering wheel quickly all the way to the right.

Backing out with the wheel straight leaves you sitting across the road facing a wall of traffic.

When the path is clear, move slowly in reverse while turning the steering wheel quickly all the way to the right.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38

On the test

When is a two-point turnabout used?

When you cannot drive around the block. Turning around in the open road blocks both lanes at once while cars come from each way. South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.38: “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.”

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 South Dakota Driver License Manual, published by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.