Checking blind spots

I_am_LOST

Hi everyone, just wondering about checking blind spots while you're driving at a speed. I always check blind spots when moving off or doing maneuvers no problem.

But I'm reading the rules of the road at the moment and for many other aspects of driving they emphasise on checking blind spots even when you're driving at a speed (for example, overtaking, changing lanes etc.)

My instructor has never told me to do this and I can't imagine it's personally safe for me to do 2 shoulder checks when you're driving along at 60km/hr + !!! I wouldn't feel safe doing it anyway - for one, it would be taking my eyes off the road ahead of me for quite some time, and secondly I might swerve the car by accident while turning my head/body around to look behind me.

What are your thoughts on this? Will I get failed in my test for not checking blind spots in situations like that?

cosmic

ALWAYS check your blind spot when changing lanes or overtaking! When you're driving at speed is when it's most important to check your blind spots. A collision at high speed can kill you and the driver of the other car.

It might seem awkward and unnatural to turn your head and glance back while driving at speed now, but it WILL come to be very natural in time. In the mean time keep working on it. Forget about your test, what's important is not putting yourself or other road users in danger.

Giruilla

Yes you should always check your blindspot when changing lanes! Only the one for the lane you are moving into though. Theres no need to check the other. In real life though you just don't do it as exaggerated as you would in the drving test... you just do a quick look.

It's incredible your instructor would tell you that....

I_am_LOST

Thanks guys! Jaysus I sound like an awful driver now :eek:

I guess if I'm only looking over my right shoulder if overtaking/changing lanes, then it won't seem as awkward to do! I just had images of me doing a 2 shoulder check and swerving the car into a bush or something lol

Cheers guys

Giruilla

It feels weird to me too taking my eye off the road for even a second, but it's way more dangerous to change lanes without checking!

By the way, I failed my test first time solely on not checking blind spot changing lanes, so it's definitely one you want to have right! (honestly though there never was an occasion where i changed lanes on the route... the tester was mistaken !)

**Timbuk2**

You MUST check your blindspots while changing lanes, even at speed (even at 120km/h on the motorway, for example). However, just do a quick check - at 120km/h you travel a lot of distance in a short period of time. Ideally, you shouldn't actually look BEHIND you, you should just look to the right (or left) of you, and your peripheral vision will do the rest.

A good exercise would be (at home) to find out where your blindspot actually is - it will make checking it more efficient. Drive alongside a wheelie bin (or something) and watch for the point you can't see it in your wing mirror. Look to your right (or left) and determine which point it is this object is when it disappears from view. Try it with the object further away for the car. For example, if you are driving on a 3 lane road, and you are in Lane 1 and want to move to Lane 2, but there's a car that wants to move from Lane 3 to Lane 2, you have to make sure you won't hit it. The further away from you cars car (as in 2 lanes away from you as opposed to in the next lane) the larger your blindspot is!

MascotDec85

Checking your blindspot is also referred to as a "safety glance"

It is what it says, a glance. You are not staring behind you, you are briefly glancing over your shoulder. It takes a wee bit of practice but you'll get there with practice