Which of the following best ensures your safety and the safety of those around you when you are backing your vehicle?
- Honk your horn right before shifting into reverse.
- Check behind the vehicle before you get into the driver's seat. ✓
- Check your rearview mirrors to see what is behind you.
- Turn up the car radio before backing up to get the attention of anyone who may be around you.
Answer: B. Check behind the vehicle before you get into the driver's seat.
The safest habit is to walk around and check behind the vehicle before you get into the driver's seat, so you know what is there before you ever start the engine.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook's parking chapter tells you to use caution when leaving a parking space, to check all your mirrors for anything in your path, and to look back before and while you are backing up. It also warns that children often play between parked cars. Looking behind the car before you sit down lets you spot a child, pedestrian, or object that mirrors and a quick glance over your shoulder might miss once you are already moving.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Honk your horn right before shifting into reverse. — Honking as you shift into reverse is not something the handbook asks for, and it tells you nothing about whether something or someone is actually behind the car.
- C. Check your rearview mirrors to see what is behind you. — Mirrors alone are not enough, because the handbook says to check all mirrors and also look back before and while backing up.
- D. Turn up the car radio before backing up to get the attention of anyone who may be around you. — Turning up the radio is not a backing procedure in the handbook and does nothing to show you what is behind your vehicle.
Remember it
Before you open the door, take a short walk to the back of the car and look: whatever is there now is what you will be backing toward.