How can you ensure your blind spots are clear before changing lanes?

To ensure your blind spots are clear before changing lanes, checking your mirrors and looking over your shoulder is essential. This practice involves a comprehensive approach to monitoring your surroundings. By using both your mirrors—side and rearview—you can gain a good perspective of the vehicles directly behind and beside you. However, mirrors can sometimes create blind spots where nearby vehicles may not be visible.

Looking over your shoulder allows for a more direct view of these areas, giving you a complete picture of any potential obstacles or vehicles in your blind spot that mirrors may not capture. This combined technique enhances safety during lane changes, reducing the risk of collisions.

While relying only on side mirrors, only using the rearview mirror, or depending solely on vehicle sensors may each provide limited visibility, they do not offer the same comprehensive assessment that checking mirrors alongside a shoulder check does. Therefore, the combined method ensures that you have the best possible view of your surroundings before making a lane change.