To think what the driving instructor has told Dd is wrong?

[JacobReesMogadishu]

Apparently you never do a shoulder check unless you’re stopped. So if you’re changing lanes on a motorway or coming down a slip road you just use your mirrors and don’t do a quick shoulder check. I know it’s a long time since I took my test but I was told you must because of blind spots.

Second thing is apparently when stopped at traffic lights, etc you don’t need to put your hand brake on. Again I was told you must so if someone rear ends you hopefully you don’t crash forward into the person in front. She’s driving an automatic if that makes a difference.

So last week when driving with me she was stopped at lights with quite a hill start and hadnt got the hand brake on. It’s a good job she is in an automatic or she’d have rolled backwards when she took her foot of the brake to move forward!

She has her test in less than two weeks! 😱

@Nicknacky

idril Are you actually being serious? Do you drive?

Err...yes. Over 25 years.

Not sure what you don't get. I don't move my head when I look in the mirror but I'm pretty sure my eyes are not capable of looking in two directions at once. To look in the mirror you focus your vision on what you see in the mirror not on the road ahead. Admittedly, it's for a short period of time but people are talking above about being taught to "constantly" check their mirrors so as not to need to look over their shoulder.

You want something fun.

Try joining a motorway in mainland Europe when you have a right hand drive car.

Blind spots, having to get the left hand mirror just right.

idril In that case you are one of the most irresponsible drivers I’ve ever heard of if you don’t check your mirrors. In fact, I would say dangerous.

I check my mirrors every few seconds as it’s just as important to know what is behind you as what is in front of you.

Definitely wrong and she shouldn't be using a cars hill start assist. She will fail her test straight away with that. My instructor turned it off. Don't let her sit her test with lessons from this instructor.

@Nicknacky

idril In that case you are one of the most irresponsible drivers I’ve ever heard of if you don’t check your mirrors. In fact, I would say dangerous.

I check my mirrors every few seconds as it’s just as important to know what is behind you as what is in front of you.

When did I say I don't check my mirrors?

The reason people have been given for not checking over their shoulder is that it's dangerous to take your eyes off the road ahead. I was pointing out that "constantly" checking your mirrors also takes your eyes off the road ahead so isn't much different to checking over your shoulder.

I think it goes without saying that checking your mirrors is something you have to do.

idril

Surely checking your miirrors is alao taking your eyes off the direction you are travelling in? You can't look in the mirror and keep your eyes entirely on the road ahead.

From your post at 22.02 on 6th October.

Surely checking your miirrors is alao taking your eyes off the direction you are travelling in? You can't look in the mirror and keep your eyes entirely on the road ahead

I think there is a difference between occasionally checking your mirrors and constantly checking your mirrors.

If you are 'constantly checking your mirrors', are you also looking ahead?

@Nicknacky

idril

Surely checking your miirrors is alao taking your eyes off the direction you are travelling in? You can't look in the mirror and keep your eyes entirely on the road ahead.

From your post at 22.02 on 6th October.

That doesn't say that I don't check my mirrors.

As I said, I was pointing out that checking over your shoulder and checking your mirrors BOTH involve taking your eyes off the road ahead. Therefore the explanation that people have been given for not checking over their shoulder (i.e because you have to take your eyes off the road ahead) is not valid.

It's a pretty big leap from that to infer that I don't check my mirrors. But please rest assured that I do.

Therefore the explanation that people have been given for not checking over their shoulder (i.e because you have to take your eyes off the road ahead) is not valid

But you'd agree that it's a much quicker process to look in the mirror compared to looking over your shoulder?

@chomalungma

Therefore the explanation that people have been given for not checking over their shoulder (i.e because you have to take your eyes off the road ahead) is not valid

But you'd agree that it's a much quicker process to look in the mirror compared to looking over your shoulder?

Yes, I said this above.

I don't want to get into a parallel discussion but the original point I made was that constantly checking your mirrors isn't that much different to a quick shoulder check; both involve taking your eyes off the road ahead.

So just because doing a shoulder check means briefly taking your eyes off the road ahead doesn't necessarily mean it shouldn't be done. You check the road ahead, look over your shoulder then manouvere.

It's a minor point but I was defending myself against the accusation that I am irresponaible driver because a PP inferred from what I said that I don't check my mirrors.

To be fair, read your original post again. You talk about taking your eyes off the road ahead.

And yes I check mirrors frequently as that’s the safest thing to do. And by frequently, I mean every few seconds.

I drove from Scotland to the south of England and back a couple of days ago and I paid more attention to my habits than normal on the back of this thread. I probably check my mirrors every 10-20 seconds (which is less frequent than I originally thought) and I only looked over my shoulder when changing lanes when I was conscious that I hadn’t checked my mirrors enough.

don't want to get into a parallel discussion but the original point I made was that constantly checking your mirrors isn't that much different to a quick shoulder check; both involve taking your eyes off the road ahead

I suppose it comes down to how often people check their mirrors.

I had a horsebox which was a 20 year old converted Renault van. The built in wing mirrors had such a restricted view that I bought stick on fish eye mirrors to give me a hope of seeing anything.