In short: At "Turning left at green without an arrow" the examiner mainly wants to see: Green without an arrow: oncoming traffic has green too, I am not protected; Interior mirror, left mirror, indicate left in good time; Move over towards the centre; Enter the junction, wheels straight, wait for a gap. A severe mistake that can end the test: turn with momentum, the light is green.
Junction with traffic lights, your light shows green (round disc, no arrow). You want to turn left. Oncoming traffic also has green and goes straight on. Pedestrians have green at the same time in the road you turn into. A car waits behind you.
The examiner says„Biegen Sie an der Ampel bitte links ab.“
"Please turn left at the lights."
What you have to show
- Green without an arrow: oncoming traffic has green too, I am not protected
- Interior mirror, left mirror, indicate left in good time
- Move over towards the centre
- Enter the junction, wheels straight, wait for a gap
- Let oncoming traffic going straight on or turning right through
- Let pedestrians in the target road go first
- Shoulder check left before turning
- If the light changes while I wait, I clear the junction
The right order
- Read the light: green without an arrow, oncoming traffic goes too
- Mirrors, indicate left in good time, move over towards the centre
- At green, enter the junction, wheels straight, wait
- Let oncoming traffic through
- Shoulder check left, let pedestrians in the target road go
- Turn, or at amber and red clear the junction
Typical mistakes
What the examiner records in the protocol
The examiner files every situation under five competence areas in the electronic test protocol. This is how the points of this situation are spread:
- Green without an arrow: oncoming traffic has green too, I am not protected
- Let pedestrians in the target road go first severe mistake
- Shoulder check left before turning
- Move over towards the centre
- Enter the junction, wheels straight, wait for a gap
- If the light changes while I wait, I clear the junction
- Let oncoming traffic going straight on or turning right through severe mistake
- Interior mirror, left mirror, indicate left in good time
How the examiner grades: the electronic test protocol explained →
A strong answer
The light shows green without an arrow, so I am not protected: oncoming traffic has green too. I check the interior mirror and the left mirror, indicate left in good time and move over towards the centre. At green I enter the junction and wait there with the wheels straight. I let the oncoming traffic through. With a shoulder check to the left I look at the space beside me and let the pedestrians in the target road go first. If the light changes, I clear the junction briskly as soon as the oncoming traffic has stopped.
What the law says
§ 9 (1) StVO: whoever turns left moves over towards the centre, indicates in good time and watches the traffic behind before moving over and again before turning. § 9 (3) StVO: let oncoming vehicles through, take special care of pedestrians, wait if necessary. § 9 (4) sentence 1 StVO: also let oncoming right-turners through. § 37 (2) no. 1 StVO: green means traffic may go, turning follows the rules of § 9. Clearing the junction briskly after the light changes is not in the wording of the StVO, it is established practice and case law; § 9 (3) still applies while you clear it.
Legal text: § 9 StVO · § 37 StVO (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Quick check
You stand in the junction wanting to turn left. The light turns amber, oncoming traffic still drives. What do you do?
- Stay put until it turns green again
- Turn as soon as the oncoming traffic stops, watching for pedestrians
- Drive straight on with the traffic
Show the answer
Tap the steps in the right order or explain in your own words what you would do. The app checks your answer instantly, free and without registration.
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