Look before you leap

Imagine this situation. You are about to turn left from a main road into your street. You have your signal on and the correct speed for the junction. Just as you turn left, something hits the side of your car. You see a cyclist on the road.

What caused that accident? Did you check your mirrors before making the turn? This is why driving schools all teach a form of MSPSL. This article explains the correct use of mirrors and signals.

Your driving instructor explained how to set the mirrors up as part of the cockpit drill. Think back to your first driving lesson. So that you can see the back windscreen and the back corners of the car. They might have talked about the MSPSL driving system. We are now going to take that on a stage and look at mirrors for hazard awareness.

We need to explode one myth before we do. Checking your mirrors does not mean turning your head and staring in them. That tells the examiner that you have not set your mirrors and do not know how to use them. Checking your mirrors means a quick glance to see if there is anything in the mirrors.

The DSA, who set the driving test, expect you to check your mirrors when certain things are about to happen. They say that you should; check your mirrors before you need to change your speed, direction or signal.

To explain:

Check your mirrors before you touch the brake or the gas. Check your mirrors before you steer and of course check them before you signal.

Do not check for a specific object when you use your mirrors. If you look for the cyclist you will miss the horse rider. You need to know if there is anything in the mirrors. You need to know if it is moving fast or slow and if it is near or far.

What you see in your mirror affect what you do at the hazard. A slow moving cyclist close by might cause you to wait before turning left. A fast moving motorbike in the distance would not affect your left turn.

A lot of driving instructors teach the use of signals at the same time as the use of mirrors. It is a good use of the driving lesson. Signals follow mirrors.

There are a few different ways of signalling. We are only going to look at the ones a driver can officially give.

Again, we need to clear up a myth. Signalling does not give you the right to carry out a manoeuvre. Signals tell people that you would like to do. It is you telling the other road users what you want to do and asking permission to do it.

The main signals are the indiactor lights. When you put the car into reverse, the reversing light acts as a signal. Your brakes signal that you are about to stop. You can tap your brakes to warn a car that you are about to slow down.

You can signal with the position of your car. When you turn right, you move the car to towards the centre of the road. That tells other road users that you intend to turn right.

You can signal with your horn. The horn should only be used to warn people that you are near by. At nighttime, you should flash your headlights rather than use your horn in a built up area. That brings us to when to signal.

You should always use your indicators at junctions and before leaving roundabouts. At all other times it depends on who will benefit from the signal. You would not signal before parking if there were no one to see the signal.

Make sure that you time tour signals so that they do not give out the wrong message.

Imagine this situation. You are about to turn left from a main road into your street. You are your signal on and the correct speed for the junction. Just as you turn left, you hear an almighty thud as something hits the side of your car. You see a cyclist on the road. What caused that accident? Did you check your mirrors before making the turn? This article explains the correct use of mirrors and signals. Information about the Author: Drive Dynamics is a professional national driving school. Its Hull Driving Instructor team is extreemly skilled. It has a high pass rate and care about safe driving. The driving school offer amazing driving lessons at reasonable prices. www.drivedynamicshull.com Vehicles Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

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