Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Turning

You are stopped on a minor street preparing to turn left onto a major street. What gap does the manual say to allow between you and any vehicle approaching from your right?

  1. A.
    4 seconds
  2. B.
    6 seconds
  3. C.
    8 seconds
  4. D.
    9 seconds Correct
The Why

The answer is "9 seconds"

Turning left from a minor street onto a major street is one of the most demanding maneuvers on the manual's gap list. You need a 9-second gap between you and any vehicle coming from the right, enough time to accelerate from a stop, clear both approach lanes, and merge into moving traffic without forcing an approaching driver to brake. The 8-second figure is the gap for a right turn and the 6-second figure is for crossing a two-way stop; both sit in the same bullet list on this page and get swapped by readers who memorize one gap number for every intersection maneuver.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. 4 seconds

The 4-second figure is a following distance for staying behind another vehicle in moving traffic, not a gap for turning across it. This answer reaches for the four-second following distance because it is the only 'seconds' number many drivers carry over from behind-the-wheel practice.

B. 6 seconds

6 seconds is the gap the manual gives for crossing a 30 mph street straight through at a two-way stop, not for turning left onto a major street. This answer grabs the crossing-gap figure from the same bullet list, ignoring that turning across traffic takes longer than crossing it.

C. 8 seconds

8 seconds is the manual's figure for turning right against traffic approaching from the left, not for turning left from a minor onto a major street. This answer swaps the right-turn gap for the left-turn gap because both figures sit back-to-back in this page's bullet list and share the 'gap in seconds' pattern.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Turning in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Moving Into and Through Intersections Safely," p.49..

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