When should you check your mirrors while driving?

Checking your mirrors before changing lanes or making a turn is crucial for ensuring safety while driving. This practice allows you to assess the surrounding traffic conditions, including the positions of other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. By doing this, you can make an informed decision about whether it is safe to execute the maneuver.

Proper mirror checks are essential for maintaining situational awareness. They help prevent accidents by allowing you to spot vehicles in blind spots and identify any sudden changes in the environment that may require immediate attention. Regularly checking mirrors before such actions aligns with defensive driving strategies, promoting a proactive approach to road safety.

Other options are less effective or insufficient for maintaining safety on the road. For instance, only checking mirrors when starting to drive doesn’t help during the active driving period when conditions may frequently change. Similarly, checking every five minutes might lead to complacency, especially since the most critical moments for checking mirrors occur right before you make a lane change or turn. Lastly, only checking mirrors when traffic is heavy misses the point that even when traffic seems light, other road users might be present, necessitating vigilance at all times.