If you are preparing for your G2 road test in Ontario, intersections are where you will either build a comfortable margin or burn through your demerits in the first five minutes. The examiner scores your approach, observation, gap selection and exit at every single intersection on the route — and the average route passes through more than a dozen of them.
Controlled intersections: traffic lights
At a signalised intersection, the examiner is looking for a smooth approach at an appropriate speed. Begin scanning the light early — if it has been green for a long time, cover the brake in case it changes. If it turns yellow, the rule is simple: stop if you can do so safely. Accelerating through a late yellow is marked as a demerit.
When turning left on a green (not an advanced green), pull into the intersection and wait for a safe gap. Do not sit behind the stop line waiting — that is overly cautious driving and costs you marks. When the light turns yellow while you are already in the intersection waiting to turn, complete your turn once oncoming traffic has stopped.
Four-way stops
Ontario uses four-way stops extensively, and the examiner expects you to know the priority rules cold:
- First to stop, first to go.
- If two vehicles stop at the same time, the one on the right goes first.
- If two vehicles stop at the same time and are facing each other, the one going straight goes before the one turning left.
Come to a complete stop — your wheels must stop turning entirely. A rolling stop (California stop) is an automatic demerit. After stopping, scan left-centre-right before proceeding.
Two-way stops
At a two-way stop, you are on the stop sign side and cross traffic does not stop. This is where gap selection matters most. Wait for a gap that lets you complete your turn or crossing without forcing the through traffic to slow down. If you pull out and an approaching car has to brake, the examiner marks it.
If you are turning left across traffic, remember that you must yield to vehicles turning right onto the same road from the opposite stop sign — they have a shorter path and arrive first.
Uncontrolled intersections
An uncontrolled intersection has no signs, signals or markings. They are common in residential neighbourhoods. The rule is yield to the vehicle on the right, but the examiner really wants to see that you recognise it as an intersection in the first place. Scan down every side street you cross — if you blow through without looking, it is a serious demerit even if no one was there.
Pedestrian crossovers and school zones
Ontario's pedestrian crossover (PXO) rules require you to stop and wait until the pedestrian has completely crossed your half of the road (or the full road on an undivided street). Do not creep forward while they are still on the crosswalk. In school zones, the speed drops to 40 km/h during posted hours — watch for the signs and adjust early.
Left and right turns
On any turn, the examiner checks your signal (activated at least 30 metres before the turn), your lane position (hug the curb for right turns, approach from the left part of your lane for left turns) and your head checks. A shoulder check to the right before a right turn is mandatory — missing it is one of the most common demerits on the G2 test.
How to prepare
Drive the area around your test centre repeatedly. Each DriveTest location uses a set of standard routes, and the intersections on those routes are the ones you will face on test day. Use SteerClear to explore Ontario road test routes and practise each intersection type until your approach, scan and decision-making feel automatic.