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Driving Tips > The 60-Second Driver
Shoulder Checking - Merging or Changing Lanes
You see it all the time--a car moving in one direction while the driver's head is turned looking the other way to determine when it's safe to change lanes or merge with other traffic.
The shoulder check is vital to a safe merge or lane change. Experts say there are four easy steps to a safe shoulder check that doesn't take our attention away from our direction of travel:
The first step is to check the mirrors. This tells us what is happening around us.
With the sideview mirror
you
can see B
you can't see A or C
With the inside rearview mirror
you
can see A
you can't see B or C
Next is the shoulder check to determine what is directly beside your car.
With both mirrors and a shoulder check
you
can see A
you can see B
you can see C
- Signal your intention to change lanes or merge.
- Recheck mirrors and do another shoulder check of blind spots.
These four steps will make for a safer lane change. Remember, you drive where you look. So make your shoulder checks quickly and get your eyes back on the road ahead of you.
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