Blind Spots | Crosswalks
Blind Spots
The one thing confuses new drivers the most is shoulder checks, because they involve turning your head to check your blind spot while holding the steering wheel in its current position. Make sure to only turn your head, not your whole body, and avoid turning the steering wheel in the direction of your shoulder check. Would you skate down the ice while playing hockey without checking around you? Of course not because you could get hit by another player. Hockey players always check around them because they know that their are hazards (other players) all that they may not see.
A Hockey Player Doesn't Spot The Hazards Around Him And Gets Caught With His Head Down
Before turning your vehicle, like at intersection or in a parking lot, always check your blind spot on the side that you are turning to. In the top images the blind spots look clear in the side mirrors. In the bottom images we can see that the side mirrors did not show the entire blind spot but a quick shoulder check to the side reveals that there is something in the blind spot, an orange cone.
The side mirrors of a vehicle don't show the blind spot unless they're adjusted much further outward than normal. Most motorists, including me, keep their mirrors adjusted slightly inward, but if the side mirrors are adjusted all the way outward the way engineers designed them to be used, then a driver would technically see all of their blind spot. But there are many other reasons to shoulder check even if the side mirrors are adjusted all the way out. When another motorist is speeding passed you it's very easy to miss them in your side mirror in that split second that they're passing by. Never rely solely on your side mirrors. Casey The Car Guy explains how to properly adjust the side mirrors of a vehicle in the video below.
Casey The Car Guy on YouTube. He is a professional race car driver who is an expert on all aspects of driving.
Bad Drivers 2022 (most of these crashes are due to drivers not shoulder checking)
Vulnerable Road Users And Crosswalks
Wheel Guards save the lives of pedestrians and cyclists by keeping them from going under the wheels if they get hit.
How To Check Your Blind Spot
Motorcyclists know better than anyone, how important it is to shoulder check.
There are a lot of different types of vehicles in traffic, not only cars. So always make sure that you are aware of your surroundings and always check your blind spots before turning.
Crosswalks
At intersections pedestrians have the right of way. At intersections controlled by traffic signals, pedestrians must obey the same signals as drivers travelling in the same direction.
When you see a crosswalk ahead of you check to see if there any pedestrians waiting to cross. This will give you more time to slow down and stop.