Backing Up
Backing up a vehicle takes practice and being cautious. It is difficult to see directly behind the car, even when using your mirrors and glancing backward over your shoulder. For this reason, it is important to examine the environment around your vehicle from many angles.
Before getting into your vehicle, check behind the car for small objects such as children’s toys, mailboxes, or other hazards. These types of smaller objects may not be visible once you are inside your car. If you are driving a lifted truck, look inside of your wheel well before leaving for any animals or other objects.
Once you are inside your car and are ready to back up, look in your rear-view and side-view mirrors. You cannot, however, solely rely on your mirrors to safely back up because your mirrors are not able to give you a complete view of all objects behind and around your vehicle. To compensate for what your mirrors cannot show you, turn and look over your right shoulder to look behind you while you back up. Back slowly to avoid collisions and know where your kids are. Make sure they are away from your vehicle and in full view before moving your vehicle.
Backup cameras do not provide a full view but are just to assist; they are not designed for you to look ahead while backing up, which is very dangerous. Remember while driving everything you do is your responsibility. Use every resource to back up safely, don’t depend on any one thing. You can look backwards and still see your backup camera too. Technology is there to help you out, it is not designed to solve every problem completely.
If your ability to turn your head and shoulders is restricted:
- Avoid backing up if at all possible.
- Turn your body to the side, so you don’t have to crane your neck as far.
- Find parking places that do not require backing up.
- Carefully use all your mirrors and get passengers to help with the maneuver.
Remember to always back up slowly, using your brake and clutch to control your speed and avoid crashes. It is against the law to start a vehicle and to begin backing up until it is safe to do so. (CVC 22106): “No person shall start a vehicle stopped, standing, or parked on a highway, nor shall any person back a vehicle on a highway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety.”
Backing up around corners or sharp curves should be avoided unless you have good visibility in all directions because it is very dangerous. A vehicle can come around the curve and run into the back end of your vehicle.
HOW TO CHANGE LANES
Changing lanes is another maneuver that is necessary but potentially dangerous if not completed in a safe manner. A good tool for remembering the proper tips to successfully make a lane change is S-M-O-G. In this section, we will examine what each of the steps of S-M-O-G is and how they can help you safely change lanes when driving.
S-M-O-G stands for:
S – Signal
M – Mirrors
O – Over the Shoulder
G – Go
Signal
When you are preparing to turn, you must signal 100 feet prior to your turn. If you are changing lanes, signal at least five seconds before you make your move. Do not signal for longer than this, as it may confuse the drivers around you. Also, you should only use your signals when you are intending to, beginning to, or are in the process of changing lanes.
When changing lanes, always make certain that the lane you are intending to use is traveling in your direction. You will know that the lane travels in the other direction by noting the color of the lines between your lane and the adjacent lane. Yellow lines, broken or solid, denote opposite directions of travel on a two-way road.
If you cannot make a lane change safely, cancel your signal and try again later.
Mirrors
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors for vehicles that may be ready to pass you. To check your blind spots, you should also turn your head and check beside your vehicle by looking over your shoulder.
Once you have determined that it is safe, change lanes, but do not slow down. Slowing down will make the relative distance shorten drastically between you and the car in the lane you are moving in.
Without taking these necessary precautions, you could cut off or hit another vehicle or cause another vehicle to hit you or other cars around them.
Over the Shoulder
The over the shoulder check is vital to a safe merging or lane change. Experts say there are four easy steps to a safe shoulder check that do not take our attention away from the direction of travel.
First – Begin turning by letting your eye move first. For example, if you are turning to look over your left shoulder, let your eyes move to the left first, and then your head will follow.
Second – Move your torso forward as you begin to turn your head. This will move your torso away from the back of the car seat and give you more room for rotation.
Third – Use your arms. Allow your arms to move so that your shoulders can adjust properly to allow your head to move smoothly. This will happen in conjunction with your eyes, head, and torso moving.
Fourth – Allow yourself to breathe. It requires effort to carefully look over your shoulder when making a lane change. Do not tense up your body movements by holding your breath.
GO!
When you begin your lane change, don’t stop until your vehicle has completely merged into the new lane. You must maintain your speed when changing lanes. Additionally, you should not have to speed up to make a lane change if you wait for the proper opening and avoid cutting in too closely.
Do not slow down while making a lane change. If you slow down or stop while making your lane change, you will cause the driver to your rear to slam on their brakes. They may hit the rear of your vehicle or swerve to avoid hitting you, which could possibly cause a chain reaction collision that injures others.
Although lane changes are a regular part of driving, the California Vehicle Code dictates that a driver should attempt to drive in a single lane as much as possible. Furthermore, the driver should not move from his or her lane until it is reasonably safe to do so. (CVC 21658) This applies not only to lane changes but also to passing another vehicle.
PASSING
As drivers, we pass and get passed by other vehicles daily. We are sure it has become second nature to you. However, did you know that many collisions are the result of improper passing? Improper passing is also the source of many road rage incidents.
In this section, we will discuss the proper procedure when passing. In another lesson, we will elaborate on when and where you can and cannot pass.
Rapid Decision Making
If you decide that it is necessary to pass the vehicle in front of you, you must carefully and quickly make the decision to do so. You must be able to judge in a short amount of time if you have enough time and clearance to pass. If you hesitate, you may miss your chance to pass safely or possibly endanger the lives of other drivers.
At highway speeds, you may travel over 800 feet in 10 to 12 seconds. The oncoming traffic will also be traveling at this speed. That means you will need over 1,600 feet, or about one-third of a mile, to pass safely.
Steps in Successful Passing
Again, passing is something you do every day. However, read below and refresh yourself on the proper steps to complete a successful pass:
- Scan for hazards, including roadwork, animals, pedestrians, bicycles, and intersections.
- Look for oncoming vehicles, vehicles approaching from the rear, and other merging vehicles.
- You must wait until all oncoming vehicles have passed so that you can see a sufficient distance down the roadway.
- Look carefully! This includes looking in your mirrors and over your shoulders for blind spots.
- Look in your rear-view mirror to be sure that the vehicle that is following you is not going to attempt to pass you.
- Remember – if you cannot see, you cannot pass!
- Do not pass in an area where roads cross or where traffic merges together.
- A vehicle may merge into the opposing traffic lane that you are using to pass another vehicle, which will cause you to hit them head-on.
- A vehicle may merge into the lane in front of the vehicle that you are passing, cutting off your end-of-pass gap that you need to be able to get back into your lane.
- Always signal your intentions to pass in advance, typically with your left signal, to warn the drivers of the vehicles behind you and in front of you.
- Prepare to pass by increasing your speed by 10 MPH more than the speed of the vehicle that you are passing. Remember not to exceed the speed limit, even when passing.
- Always check and double-check for oncoming and approaching hazards on the roadway and changes in road conditions.
- Create return space and an end-of-pass gap where you will place your vehicle after passing.
- Accelerate and pass the vehicle(s), one at a time.
- Always signal when you intend to move back into the lane.
- Make sure to follow each step with every car that you pass!
Establish a Safe Response for Hazards
You should be prepared for any unforeseen hazards while you are passing another vehicle. For example, a vehicle may be pulling out of a driveway into your path of travel, or an animal could jump out in front of your vehicle, creating a dangerous situation. For this reason, you should never pass when you do not have a clear view of the roadway.
Checking for Road Traction
If the road does not provide enough traction because it is made of dirt or gravel, or because it is covered with ice, rain, or snow, then you are not in a position to pass another vehicle.
The actions of speeding up and changing lanes can send your vehicle sideways or out of control, causing a collision with the vehicle that you are passing and or oncoming traffic.
When Being Passed
If another vehicle tries to go around you, you will need to yield to that vehicle, allowing them to safely pass. Speeding up and not allowing the vehicle to go around you could endanger lives if they are not able to move out of oncoming traffic quickly. Accelerating becomes hazardous to you, the passer, and vehicles in oncoming traffic.