When should you check your mirrors while driving?

Checking your mirrors regularly while driving is crucial for maintaining awareness of your surroundings and ensuring safe driving practices. It allows you to monitor the traffic behind and beside you, helping you make informed decisions about lane changes, merging, and understanding the overall traffic situation.

Specifically, checking mirrors before changing lanes or merging is essential because it helps identify any vehicles that might be in your blind spots or approaching rapidly from behind. This practice helps prevent accidents and keeps you and other road users safe. Regular mirror checks also contribute to overall situational awareness, allowing you to respond appropriately to changes in traffic patterns or potential hazards.

Looking at mirrors only when stopped at a red light or solely when there are other vehicles nearby would not provide continuous awareness of your environment and could lead to dangerous situations. Additionally, only checking mirrors at set intervals, such as every 5 minutes during long drives, is insufficient for safe driving, as dynamic traffic conditions require constant vigilance.