You are meant to check your mirrors and blind spot before you indicate your intention (because your intention to change lanes should be based on the information gathered). You should then change lanes only after checking again that your path is clear.
This means that you should actually check twice. You should at least check your mirrors twice.
You should also check your mirrors before applying the brakes, approaching stop signs, red lights, and any of that (failure to check will incur a penalty, you don't know that the person behind you is about to run up your backside). You should also check both ways across a train line before crossing (failure to do so is a penalty, the gates may not work, a train may be about to hit you).
In the old days, they used to be able to cover up your rear vision mirror and ask you what kind of car is behind you and how far back it is. That is the level of awareness they would like you to have on the road.
Also, you should be able to drive any car you get into almost perfectly within 5 minutes of being behind the wheel. That is what having a licence for all cars of class X means. It's not a licence for Liz's car, or a licence for the instructor's car, it's a license for all cars within those limitations.
Finally, in the end, you're either ready or you're not. Part of driving is making good decisions in split seconds, then there is executing that manuveur. Finally, you require the confidence to complete your action without freezing up in the middle of the street. Amazingly, most P-platers have their cars written off due to the third one. While competent drivers (perhaps not fantastic) and able to choose the correct reaction to a situation (although perhaps not as fast as they would like), hesitation causes them to get cleaned up.
Also, watch out for motorcycles, they really do vanish on the road.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-09 01:52 pm (UTC)This means that you should actually check twice. You should at least check your mirrors twice.
You should also check your mirrors before applying the brakes, approaching stop signs, red lights, and any of that (failure to check will incur a penalty, you don't know that the person behind you is about to run up your backside). You should also check both ways across a train line before crossing (failure to do so is a penalty, the gates may not work, a train may be about to hit you).
In the old days, they used to be able to cover up your rear vision mirror and ask you what kind of car is behind you and how far back it is. That is the level of awareness they would like you to have on the road.
Also, you should be able to drive any car you get into almost perfectly within 5 minutes of being behind the wheel. That is what having a licence for all cars of class X means. It's not a licence for Liz's car, or a licence for the instructor's car, it's a license for all cars within those limitations.
Finally, in the end, you're either ready or you're not. Part of driving is making good decisions in split seconds, then there is executing that manuveur. Finally, you require the confidence to complete your action without freezing up in the middle of the street. Amazingly, most P-platers have their cars written off due to the third one. While competent drivers (perhaps not fantastic) and able to choose the correct reaction to a situation (although perhaps not as fast as they would like), hesitation causes them to get cleaned up.
Also, watch out for motorcycles, they really do vanish on the road.