I’ve been an instructor for over ten years now and there are a number of areas I find myself having to stress to my pupils time after time after time.
Today, I’m going to cover the subject of mirrors.
I know, it’s a real pain, there you are eager to get that freedom of independent driving and you get your instructor banging on about mirrors. “Why? Mirrors only tell me where I’ve been and I need to know where I’m going” is a comment I often get. Your mirrors are vitally important.
The use of mirrors covers three specific functions:
- Perhaps most obviously gives us a view of the road either side of our vehicle and behind us.
- Regular checking means we keep up to date with what is going on around us.
- Assists us in making informed decisions about the manoeuvre we are going to do based on the position and speed of other traffic.
The interior mirror is flat so what we see is reality. That means if something appears to be 50 metres behind us then that is how far away it is. Whereas, side mirrors tend to be convex. This gives us a wider field of view but distorts what we see, so when a vehicle appears to be 50 metres behind us, in reality it is much closer. So do not just move out to overtake the cyclist in front of you, look!
Check your blind spot to be sure that the vehicle you have seen in your side mirror is not in the process of passing you – the very last thing we want is a trip to A&E.
When should we be checking our mirrors?
You should check your mirrors every time you are going to change speed or direction. Put simply, whenever there is a potential hazard. A hazard is anything from a bend in the road, a junction, pedestrian crossing, road works, changing lanes on a dual carriageway or motorway. If what you are about to do could cause an accident then check to make sure it is safe.
One of the first things I teach is – Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre (MSM) you will hear this a lot. It will be a significant part of your driving as you get more and more independent.
Remember the routine:
Mirrors: you are checking the speed and distance of the traffic around you.
Signal: this tells the traffic around you what you intend to do. By signalling you are informing them you are going to slow down and make a turn or change course.
Manoeuvre: is any change in speed or direction.
Quite often your instructor will break the manoeuvre down further by changing the ‘M’ to ‘PSL’, making the full acronym MSPSL instead.
P: Position (on the road)
S: Speed (usually slowing down and getting into the right gear)
L: Look – Assess, Decide and Act (LADA)
Look – What can you see?
Assess – What are your options? Move on, slow down further or stop.
Decide – depends on what you see, but will usually be move on, slow down or stop.
Act – Move on or wait.
During your driving test, the examiner will get you to pull over and stop several times. As soon as you have stopped they will ask you to drive on. This is their opportunity to check that you are using your mirrors correctly and not just your mirrors, but the blind spot over your right shoulder. Above all, the examiner wants to see that what you are doing is SAFE.
Finally, just to say, while reversing, never rely solely on your mirrors – definitely use them, but keep looking around the entire time the car is moving. This ensures you have the benefit of peripheral vision. Mirrors have blind spots and the last thing we want is to hit someone who has decided to cross behind us that we just did not see.
