How often should you check your mirrors while driving?

Checking your mirrors frequently while driving, particularly before changing lanes or merging, is crucial for maintaining situational awareness on the road. Regular checks allow drivers to monitor the behavior of surrounding vehicles, helping to identify any potential hazards, blind spots, or changes in traffic conditions. This practice ensures that you are always aware of your surroundings and can make informed decisions about your driving maneuvers.

The emphasis on checking mirrors before changing lanes or merging is particularly important because these actions can significantly alter your driving position and interaction with other vehicles. By being proactive and observing what's happening around you, you decrease the risk of collisions and promote safer driving habits.

In contrast, only checking mirrors when changing lanes is insufficient for ensuring safety, as it may lead to missed opportunities to react to emerging traffic situations. Similarly, limiting mirror checks to specific scenarios, such as approaching intersections or only every 10 seconds, can hinder a driver's awareness and response time to unforeseen circumstances on the road. Thus, the practice of checking mirrors frequently provides a comprehensive approach to safe driving.