Safely backing your vehicle requires all of the following, except:
- Looking over your right shoulder as you back up.
- Checking your vehicle's surroundings.
- Tapping your horn before you back up. ✓
Answer: C. Tapping your horn before you back up.
Tapping your horn before you back up is not part of safe backing — it is the one item on the list that the handbook does not require.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's backing procedure is built on looking and checking, not sounding the horn. It tells you to observe traffic and check the appropriate blind spots, then look in your rearview mirror and over your shoulder for approaching vehicles and pedestrians before you begin backing, and to stay aware of what is behind you as you back at a smooth, safe speed. The handbook gives the horn a different job: letting other drivers know you are there or warning them of a hazard, and it specifically says not to honk at a blind person.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Looking over your right shoulder as you back up. — Looking over your shoulder is exactly what the handbook tells you to do, since it says to check your blind spots by looking in the mirror and over your shoulder for vehicles and pedestrians.
- B. Checking your vehicle's surroundings. — Checking your surroundings is the first step in the handbook's backing procedure, where you observe traffic and check the appropriate blind spots before moving.
Remember it
Backing up is a looking skill: mirror, shoulder, blind spots, then roll back slowly. The horn is for warning others of a hazard, not for announcing a reverse.