Drivers have a lot to keep track of when they are on the road. You have to follow certain directions and paths to get to your desired location, you have to watch other driver’s behaviors, and you have to keep track of your own. The more you drive, the more this becomes second nature, but even experienced drivers may momentarily forget to monitor one of those tasks.
It’s important to be a defensive driver and watch others’ behavior on the road. When you watch the behaviors of other drivers on the road, you can see what they are doing, if they are doing anything incorrectly, and then adjust as you need to for your safety.
Changing lanes is one behavior where you have to be defensive and watch other drivers as they move along the road, but also watch your own. You use your defensive driving skills and ability to scan and watch for other drivers to safely change lanes. Even with highly developed defensive driving skills, there is still room for error when changing lanes. You also encounter blind spots and speed changes by fellow drivers that can make safely shifting your lane more difficult.
If you feel timid or unsure of yourself when you are changing lanes, here are some key things to remember:
Check your mirrors. Your side mirrors were created to help you do things like changing lanes. They help you do so safely, but they are not perfect. You need to check both your side-view mirrors and the rearview mirror to see if anyone is speeding up behind you and might change lanes.
Check your blind spot. Your blind spot is not in your mirror, so that needs to be checked after you scan the road in your mirrors. Some luxury cars will alert you when someone is in your blind spot, but with most cars, you need to check your blind spot by briefly checking over your shoulder. Forgetting to look over your shoulder when shifting to another lane causes a significant amount of collisions. You cannot rely on the mirror alone.
Signal your lane change. We all know how frustrating it is when someone does not signal that they are changing lanes or turning. You do not want to be that person. It is not safe and it is an inconvenience to other drivers. These signals were created for a reason- being able to know what other drivers are about to do makes the roads safer for all. Knowing what the driver in front of you plans to do next lets you adjust your behavior so that everyone can move along to their destination as safely as possible.
Signaling does not give you the right of way, but it does give others time to adjust to your movement. You should plan on signaling long enough to give people a chance to adjust their driving — but not so long that it appears as though you are turning or changing lanes long before you plan to.
Changing lanes is just another part of driving. It is possible and easy to do it safely, you just have to follow through with a couple of key steps.
For Online Driving Course Connecticut Call A1 Driving School!
