A U-turn in driving

Driving

Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...

 refers to performing a 180 degree rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U

U

U is the twenty-first letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter U ultimately comes from the Semitic letter Waw by way of the letter Y. See the letter Y for details....

. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others it is treated as a more ordinary turn, merely extended. In still other areas lanes are occasionally marked "U-Turn only".

Occasionally, on a divided highway

Divided Highway

Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...

, special U-turn ramps exist to allow traffic to make a U-turn, though often their use is restricted to emergency and police vehicles only.

In the United States, U-turn regulations vary by state: in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 U-turns are allowed as long as the driver follows all of the precautions normally ascribed to making a left turn (yielding right-of-way, etc.). Many places, including Texas and Georgia, have specially designed U-turn lanes (referred to as Texas U-turn

Texas U-turn

A Texas U-turn, or Texas Turnaround, is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road . These are typically controlled by a yield sign, allow traffic to bypass the two traffic signals, and avoid crossing the highway traffic at-grade...

 lanes). In Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, U-turns are required for many left turns to and from divided highways, as part of the Michigan Left

Michigan left

A Michigan left is an at-grade intersection design which replaces each left turn with a permutation of a U-turn and a right turn. The design was given the name due to its frequent use along Michigan roads and highways since the late 1960s. In other contexts, the intersection is called a median...

 maneuver (also referred to as a Michigan Turn).

It can also be used to mean a sudden reversal of policy in politics

Flip-flop (politics)

A "flip-flop" , U-turn , or backflip is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion by a public official, sometimes while trying to claim that both positions are consistent with each other...

.

Prohibited U-turns

U-turns are often prohibited for various reasons. Sometimes a sign indicates the legality of U-turns. However, traffic regulations in many jurisdictions specifically prohibit certain types of U-turns. Laws vary by jurisdiction as to when a U-Turn may or may not be legal. Examples of jurisdictions with codified U-turn prohibitions include the Provinces of Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 and British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 and the States of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. In Alberta, U-Turns are prohibited in certain circumstances, for example (ref. Alberta Regulation 304/2002, Division 7):

• At the crest of a hill or on a curve unless the driver can see at least 150 m ahead,
• Anywhere a sign prohibits a U-Turn,
• In urban areas between intersections,
• At alleys and driveways,
• At an intersection controlled by a traffic signal (unless signage or signals specifically allow this maneuver),
• By a school bus on an undivided highway or on a divided highway where the length of the bus is longer than the width of the median between the two carriageways.

Taiwan

In Taiwan Area administered by the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 with right-hand traffic, Article 49 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations (zh:道路交通管理處罰條例) administratively fines a motorist 600 to 1800 new Taiwan dollar

New Taiwan dollar

The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...

s for any of the following unlawful U-turn:

1. Making a U-turn at a road segment signed a curve, a slope, a narrow road, a narrow bridge, or a tunnel.
2. Making a U-turn at a road segment signed No U-Turn or painted double solid yellow or white lines or no-overtaking lines.
3. Making a U-turn at a road segment prohibiting left turn.
4. Not surrounding a roundabout
   Roundabout
   A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
   
    to make a U-turn in such an intersection.
5. Before making a U-turn, failing to stop or signal left turn as required, or insisting to make a U-turn without paying attention to vehicles or pedestrians passing by.

In addition, a Taiwanese driver license is demerited one point for an unlawful U-turn pursuant to Article 63 of the same Act unless the license has been suspended or revoked. Furthermore, the same Act makes a U-turn on a railway level crossing a violation for drivers of motorized and non-motorized vehicles:

• Article 54: A driver of a motor vehicle shall be administratively fined 6000 to 12000 new Taiwan dollar
  New Taiwan dollar
  The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
  
  s for making a U-turn on a railway level crossing. Should an accident occur, the driver license shall also be revoked, which is for life pursuant to Article 67. This lifetime revocation used to be absolute, but the amendment of the law proclaimed on 28 December 2005 and effective on 1 July 2006 has allowed a possible waiver after serving at least 6 years of the revocation.

• Article 75: A driver of a non-motorized vehicle (e.g., a bicycle
  Bicycle
  A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
  
  ) shall be administratively fined 1200 to 2400 New Taiwan dollars for making a U-turn on a railway level crossing.