To check your blind spot before changing lanes:
- Look into the left side mirror.
- Look into the right side mirror.
- Look into the rearview mirror.
- Look over your shoulder in the direction you plan to move. ✓
Answer: D. Look over your shoulder in the direction you plan to move.
To check your blind spot before changing lanes, look over your shoulder in the direction you plan to move.
Why this is the answer
The handbook explains that blind spots sit near the left and right rear corners of your vehicle, in places your rear-view mirrors and peripheral vision cannot show you. Because those areas are hidden from the mirrors, the handbook says to turn your head before you change lanes on a highway, pass on any road, or make certain turns, so you can confirm the space is clear. A shoulder check is the only way to see into that gap, which is why it is the right move here.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Look into the left side mirror. — The left side mirror cannot show the blind spot at the left rear corner, since that area is defined as one your mirrors do not reveal.
- B. Look into the right side mirror. — The right side mirror leaves the right rear corner hidden too, so it does not clear the blind spot.
- C. Look into the rearview mirror. — The rearview mirror also misses these corners, and the handbook names mirror views as exactly what fails to cover a blind spot.
Remember it
Mirrors show what is behind and beside you; only turning your head shows what is hiding in the corner.