Automatic Driving Lessons In North Dublin – Mirrors
During your driving test, the tester will be watching you closely to see how and when you use your mirrors. Checking your mirrors frequently helps you understand what is behind you at all times. All traffic situations are different and you never know what could be coming up behind you. There can he bicycles coming up the inside, a motorbike on the outside or even an emergency vehicle coming up from behind. When you know what is behind, you can position your car safely at all times.
As you drive along a straight road with not many hazards or activity ahead, check each individual mirror every 3 seconds or so. We would check our left-wing mirror and then look ahead onto the road, then 3 seconds later we would glance at our inside mirror and then straight ahead and then 3 seconds later our right-wing mirror and then straight ahead. You see how it is one quick glance in each individual mirror but then looking straight back into the road you are driving on. Keep it in order like so, this helps you check all your mirrors evenly.
When turning left and right mirrors play a large role in helping you complete the turns safely. If the tester asks you to turn left, this is your cue to check your mirrors. You would start by checking your inside mirror and then your left wing mirror. Then you would signal and position the car safely. If it was a T junction you were turning left on, before you move off and complete the turn, again you would have a good look in the left-wing mirror to make sure nobody was coming up the inside. After you look right and left onto the road you will be entering, again quick glance into the left-wing mirror and proceed if safe to do so. When you join the new road, check all your mirrors. We have a saying “new road, new mirror.”
When the tester asks you to turn right, again the same principles apply. Check the inside mirror and then right-wing mirror and when it is safe to do, indicate right and move into a good road position. Before you move off, look in all 3 mirrors from left to right to see if there is anything coming up from behind. It the road ahead is clear, move off and pick up a safe road position. Once in position “new road, new mirrors.”
During the test, anything can happen and you may need to overtake a broken down vehicle or cyclists or whatever it may be. This is a great test of your skills and doing this competently will impress the tester. Use of the mirrors here is crucial. Before you get to the hazard, check your mirrors all around before you signal. When the way is clear overtake the hazard but when you move back into your lane, check your inside mirror and left-wing mirror before you indicate and move back in.
All driving scenarios in the test require you to use your mirrors at all times. When driving on a straight constantly look into the mirrors and let the tester know you are looking by moving your head. If you are looking into your mirrors by adjusting your eyes and not moving your head, the tester may not see this and will mark you poorly for your observation or could even fail you.
