Regular mirror checks are critical to safe driving!
We all know that, but do you know why they’re so important and how they can help you avoid problems on the road?
There are dangers behind you!
It’s not a coincidence that your driving instructor will have discussed the mirrors with you during your first driving lesson - before you’ve even turned on the engine. It’s because they are important and always will be!
We don’t teach mirror checks just to get you to pass your driving test.
#1 Remind yourself what you can’t see
Next time you sit in the driver’s seat, take a moment to understand the view each mirror gives you. You might be surprised at what you’re missing if you only use the centre mirror.
Take a look in the internal mirror and identify the closest thing you can see. Now look in the right door mirror and you’ll notice there’s a whole lot more on your right side which you couldn’t see before.
If you look over your right shoulder at the point you first identified, you may be shocked by how far behind you that object is.
Using the centre mirror alone will only give you part of the information you need. It’s like looking through a letterbox and expecting to see the whole house.
#2 Make driving into a game
Some people love driving, but for most it’s a means to an end, especially when you have a long journey.
How many times have you heard someone say “It took me 45 minutes to get to work and I don’t remember any of the journey.”?
To make your journey more interesting (and safer), set yourself a challenge.
Rather than looking in the mirror and not really ‘seeing’ what’s there, try challenging yourself to identify information about the vehicles or pedestrians around you.
When you glance at your mirror, try asking yourself afterwards what colours or makes the vehicles each side of you and behind you are. You can also make a profile of the driver behind you and try to predict their actions by the way they are driving.
The more you do this the more effective your mirror checks will become and in turn, the safer your driving will be.
#3 Talk to yourself
Vocalising our actions makes them stick better in the mind, and when learning to drive one of the best techniques to enforce good habits is to give yourself commentary along the way.
This works brilliantly when dealing with the MSPSL routine for junctions and for anticipating potential hazards, but will also force you to pay more attention to what’s going on behind you.
You should be checking behind you every time you:
Plan to move the direction of the vehicle left or right
Think you may have to slow down
Approach an increase in speed limit and expect to accelerate
Identify a potential danger which may force you to take action
Get moving again after coming to a stop at traffic lights or in queuing traffic
Take on the role of your driving instructor and give yourself the prompts while driving – they won’t mind!
Quite simply, if you don’t pay close attention to other road users behind you, then you can’t plan properly for what’s ahead.
Cyclists and motorbike riders are particularly vulnerable as they can easily slip into those areas either side of a car which you cannot see by using one mirror alone, and one sudden movement to the left or right without knowing if somebody is there could easily result in a serious collision, or even a fatality.
Remember – you are a human being and we’re all capable of making mistakes, so don’t leave anything to chance and check your mirrors regularly.
Stay safe. You could have a T-Rex chasing you!
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