Switching lanes while driving

Question

my drivers ed class always taught us to check the blind spot by quickly turning your head to the blind spot in which you want to switch lanes. but recently, while i was changing lanes, because there was construction up ahead and it was merging into one lane, i checked my blind spot quickly, but then there was a car who quickly stopped to turn into the forest, the car ahead of my quickly stopped, and i stopped quickly, but the road was wet, and i slided and hit the car, luckly my car was the only one damaged, and his wasnt, but i wanted to know if that quick time by me not looking back to blind spot could have saved me from crashing. my question here is do you just look at the mirriors when switiching lanes, or do you check the blind spot also, when are the exeptions into turining back and looking

Answer 1

Traveling to fast for the current road conditions and not understanding the rules of the road, I guess you missed that part in drivers ED.

Answer 2

Well... You are guilty of one thing... Failure to maintain safe assured clear distance.  I think thats a 4 pointer in Ohio.

You SHOULD check your blind spot... but you should also make sure that you have enough distance inbetween you and the car you are behind so that you can stop after you turn your head if you have to... You were negligent in that area.

I will give you one of the greatest hints, this is something that a driving examiner told me (ohio)

"It's not illegal to stop in your lane no matter where you are so you can change lanes.  In fact if you cant get over while moving, you should stop so you can get over _safely_."

Dont be in a hurry to get somewhere... be in a hurry to get there safely.

And well... If you dont look and switch lanes.. you could crash.  The result of you hitting someone in your blind spot while you are switching lanes (possible spin out) could potentially end up being worse than rear ending someone.

Its one of those.. damned if you do, damned if you don't situations.  But take the third option. Just stop in your lane if you have to and wait until its SAFE.  Remember you are responsible for your life and anyone else who is sharing the road with you.   A car is a machine a powerful machine, not a toy.

Answer 3

You must check your blind spot because it's called a blind spot for a reason. However, it's supposed to be a quick glance.

I think it's annoying and potentially dangerous as well because sometimes while you're changing lanes the car on the other lane also goes very fast so you have to speed up or slow down, and if you speed up and are constantly checking the blind spot, you might hit something in front. But that's why you always have to be careful while driving, especially when you're not even looking at the road in front of you.

However, it's required because one time while I was going to make a lane change, I checked mirrors and it was all clear and suddenly when I look, a giant SUV was right there in my blind spot and I would've crashed into it if I didn't check. It's far more common on busy roads too.

Answer 4

You always need to check your blind spot before you get over. Sometimes stuff just happens, but is you get over without looking over your shoulder you could cut someone off. People do this everyday and sometimes even kill somebody. Always be careful, and check quickly but safely.

Answer 5

Id say to be safe always do it, But know what's in front of you. Always think someone in front of you may stop all of a sudden, Today when i was driving I checked my mirrors and it looked perfectly fine, when I looked over my shoulder though i saw a car there. Be Safe

Answer 6

as you gain experience, you'll learn that, when approaching a situation that might require a sudden stop (such as construction ahead), you can avoid checking your blind spot by not changing lanes in that situation.

never but never change lanes without checking the blind spot.

btw billruss is right, if you can see the side of your car in the rear view, it should be angled out more.

Answer 7

You should adjust your driving according to the conditions of the road.  In this case, you should have been looking far enough ahead to not the construction and you should have slowed down, accordingly.  If a lane change was required, you should have been planning for it well ahead of time.  That includes the possibilty of the car in front of you stopping, turning, changing lanes, or, for that matter, spontaneously blowing up.

The wet road was another condition you should have allowed for.

If conditions precluded you from being able to look back safely, then, you should not have done it under those conditins and, probably, not attempted the lane change at that moment.

Looking back is intended to give you a view of the blind spot.  By NOT looking back, you could have caused and even worse collision by running into the vehicle in that blind spot.

Driving in traffic is always a matter of choices.  A good driver is "situationaly" aware at all times, giving him the information needed to make the RIGHT choice at any given moment.

Answer 8

You weren't driving to suit the conditions. It had nothing to do with whether or not you head-checked, it had more to do with you following the car in front of you far too closely.

You should always fully check your surroundings before you carry out a maneuvre. Also, indicate to show others what you intend to do, that is start to use your flashers before you begin the maneuvre, not just during. This gives other drivers warning of what you're about to do.

Answer 9

I know what they teach you in in driver's ed and I still don't understand why it still exists when every car is equipted with a right side mirror.  I come from a family of professional drivers and believe me when I say you should never turn your head while driving.  You should always be aware of traffic around you and use your mirrors.  position them so you can see just the side of your vehicle and move your head around for a wider glance.  When in doubt, change your speed and wait.  I don't even turn my head when reversing.  Learn how to use your mirrors.  Tractor/trailers are a lot bigger than a car and they don't even have a rear view or mirror yet driver's learn how to use the mirrors.  Sorry you learned a common sense rule the hard way by following the "book" rules.  Good for you for realizing this.

Answer 10

Most people have their outside rear mirrors mis-adjusted. There should be no or little overlap between the outside mirror and the inside mirror. Check this by watching a car pass you on the left. It should fall off the inside mirror and then appear in the outside left mirror with little overlap.

Setup that way, you can see most of the blind spot in the side mirror. I can see cars when their font is even with my door. Then a glance to the side covers the small area the mirror doesn't pick up.

Another trick is situational awareness, to be always aware where the cars are around you. That way you know when a car can be creaping up into your blind spot.

One problem I've seen is very low trailers, usually a boat trailer with no boat. The whole thing is never more than a foot off the ground, so you may not even be able to see the trailer when it is next to you.  Those I take note of when approaching and track them so I don't turn into them.

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