In short: At "Turning left with oncoming traffic" the examiner mainly wants to see: Interior mirror, left mirror, then indicate left in good time; Move over towards the centre; Let oncoming traffic going straight on or turning right through; Enter the junction and wait with the wheels straight. A severe mistake that can end the test: turn quickly in front of the oncoming traffic, the light is green.
In town, a junction with traffic lights, green for you. You want to turn left. Cars are coming towards you going straight on. Pedestrians want to cross the road you are turning into.
The examiner says„An der Ampel bitte links abbiegen.“
"Turn left at the lights, please."
What you have to show
- Interior mirror, left mirror, then indicate left in good time
- Move over towards the centre
- Let oncoming traffic going straight on or turning right through
- Enter the junction and wait with the wheels straight
- Shoulder check to the left before turning
- Let crossing pedestrians and cyclists go first
The right order
- Interior mirror, left mirror, indicate left in good time
- Shoulder check left, move over towards the centre and slow down
- At green, enter the junction, wheels straight, wait
- Let oncoming traffic going straight on and oncoming right-turners through
- Shoulder check left, let pedestrians and cyclists in the target road go
- Turn briskly in a gap
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:
- Interior mirror, left mirror, then indicate left in good time
- Shoulder check to the left before turning severe mistake
- Let crossing pedestrians and cyclists go first severe mistake
- Move over towards the centre
- Enter the junction and wait with the wheels straight
- Let oncoming traffic going straight on or turning right through severe mistake
How the examiner grades: the electronic test protocol explained →
A strong answer
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. Oncoming traffic has priority, whether going straight on or turning right, so I let it through. Before turning I do a shoulder check to the left and let pedestrians and cyclists crossing the target road go first. In a gap I turn briskly.
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) StVO: oncoming right-turners also have priority.
Legal text: § 9 StVO (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Quick check
You are waiting in the junction at green for a gap. The light turns amber, then red, and you are still inside the junction. What do you do?
- Stay put until it turns green again
- Clear the junction and turn as soon as the oncoming traffic has stopped
- Reverse out of the junction
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.
Practise this situation in the app