When getting ready to change lanes, you should:
- Check your side view mirror.
- Check your rearview mirror.
- Quickly turn your head to check for other vehicles.
- All of the above. ✓
Answer: D. All of the above.
You should do all three: check your side view mirror, check your rearview mirror, and turn your head to check for other vehicles.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook describes a lane change as a full visual check, not a single glance. Before moving over, you check the rearview mirror, your side mirrors, and look over your shoulder into the blind spot to confirm the roadway is clear and no one is passing. Another passage repeats that you should check mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane. Since each listed action is part of that check, the answer that includes all of them fits the handbook.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Check your side view mirror. — Checking only the side view mirror leaves out the rearview mirror and the over-the-shoulder blind-spot check described in the handbook.
- B. Check your rearview mirror. — Checking only the rearview mirror misses the side mirror and the blind-spot look that complete the visual check.
- C. Quickly turn your head to check for other vehicles. — Turning your head alone skips the mirror checks that the handbook says to make before a lane change.
Remember it
Mirrors show part of the picture; your eyes over the shoulder fill in the blind spot.