33.3.34. Are you permitted to make a U-turn at the intersection shown?
UAЧи дозволено Вам виконати розворот на зображеному перехресті?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests attentiveness to road signs at intersections and the ability to distinguish between similar maneuvers: turning left and making a U-turn. In real-life situations, this difference directly affects road safety, as misinterpreting prohibitory signs leads to dangerous conflicts of trajectories at the intersection of carriageways.
The content relates to Section 33 of the Traffic Rules, specifically prohibitory signs (sign 3.23 "Left turn prohibited"). In such a scenario, sign 3.23 is key: it prohibits making a left turn at the nearest intersection where it is installed, but explicitly allows a U-turn. Therefore, in the theoretical exam, it is important to remember that a different sign—3.24 "U-turn prohibited"—is used to prohibit U-turns, and if it is absent, the restriction applies only to left turns.
The analysis of the answer options comes down to a simple rule: a statement about a complete prohibition of the maneuver would only be correct if there is a sign prohibiting U-turns or other conditions that make it impossible to perform. In this situation, however, the prohibitory sign restricts only the left turn, so the correct answer is the option that allows making a U-turn at this intersection.
Clause 33.3 — 33 "Road Signs", 3 "Prohibitory Signs", sign 3.23 "Left Turn Prohibited"
Prohibits left turns for vehicles. At the same time, a U-turn is permitted. The sign does not apply to vehicles operating on established routes. The sign applies to intersections of carriageways and other places where the sign is installed.
Application to the situation: if sign 3.23 is installed before the intersection, it specifically prohibits a left turn at this intersection, but does not prohibit making a U-turn.
Clause 1.10 (term "Intersection")
Intersection — a place where roads cross, adjoin, or branch at the same level, the boundary of which is the imaginary lines between the beginning of the rounding of the edges of the carriageway of each road.
Application to the situation: the effect of sign 3.23 applies specifically to the intersection (the crossing of carriageways) before which it is installed.
Thus, the correct answer is "Permitted," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, sign 3.23 "Left Turn Prohibited" only prohibits a left turn, while a U-turn is explicitly permitted.
At the intersection ahead of you, there are two signs installed: 2.3 "Priority road" and 3.23 "Left turn prohibited." In this question, we are specifically interested in the prohibitory sign 3.23, because it determines which maneuvers are allowed or not allowed at the nearest intersection of roadways.
Sign 3.23 prohibits making a left turn at the place before which it is installed. That is, you do not have the right to exit the intersection to the left, as you would during a regular left turn.
At the same time, according to the rules, this sign does not prohibit a U-turn. A U-turn is a separate maneuver, and a different sign is used to prohibit it — 3.24 "U-turn prohibited." Since sign 3.23, and not 3.24, is installed at the intersection, the prohibition applies only to the left turn, but not to the U-turn.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Allowed," since sign 3.23 only prohibits a left turn, and a U-turn at this intersection is not prohibited by it.
