When changing lanes you should not:
- Check your side and rearview mirrors.
- Give a turn signal to signal your intentions.
- Check for other drivers who may be moving into the same lane as you.
- Use your cell phone to contact the police to determine if the road ahead is clear. ✓
Answer: D. Use your cell phone to contact the police to determine if the road ahead is clear.
When changing lanes you should not use your cell phone to contact the police to find out whether the road ahead is clear.
Why this is the answer
The handbook lists talking on a cell phone as a common distraction and says texting combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction. It also tells drivers to remove distractions by turning off the radio and cell phone. A lane change already asks you to watch traffic and steer, so reaching for a phone to ask whether the road is clear pulls your eyes, hands, and attention away from the driving task. Nothing in the handbook makes a phone call part of a lane change.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Check your side and rearview mirrors. — Checking your side and rearview mirrors is a normal part of watching the traffic around you, not something to avoid.
- B. Give a turn signal to signal your intentions. — Giving a turn signal is how you let other drivers know what you plan to do, so it is a step you take rather than skip.
- C. Check for other drivers who may be moving into the same lane as you. — Watching for drivers who may be moving into the same lane is exactly the kind of attention the handbook wants you to keep on the road.
Remember it
Keep the phone out of your lane-change routine: mirrors, signal, look, then move.