You are waiting in the intersection to complete a left turn. You should:
- Signal and keep your wheels turned to the left.
- Signal and keep your wheels straight. ✓
- Flash your headlights so drivers will let you through.
- Drive around the rear of a car if it blocks you.
Answer: B. Signal and keep your wheels straight.
Signal and keep your wheels straight while you wait in the intersection to complete a left turn.
Why this is the answer
The New York manual says that when you enter an intersection to prepare for a left turn, you should keep to the right of the center line and keep your wheels straight. It gives the reason: if your vehicle is hit from behind, straight wheels help prevent you from being pushed into oncoming traffic. The passage does not spell out the signaling detail, but the safety rule it does state clearly supports keeping the wheels straight rather than turned.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Signal and keep your wheels turned to the left. — Keeping the wheels turned left is the opposite of the manual's advice; if you are hit from behind, turned wheels can push you into oncoming traffic.
- C. Flash your headlights so drivers will let you through. — Flashing your headlights is not given in these right-of-way passages as a way to make drivers let you through.
- D. Drive around the rear of a car if it blocks you. — The passages say to wait for traffic to clear and complete the turn when safe, not to drive around the rear of a car that blocks you.
Remember it
While you wait to turn left, think "straight wheels, ready to go" so a rear-end hit does not shove you into traffic.