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Know What Is at Your Side
Any time you come to a place where
people may cross or enter your path
or one line of traffic meets another,
you should look to the left and right
sides of your vehicle to make sure no
one is coming. Always look to each
side of your vehicle at intersections,
crosswalks, and railroad crossings.
At intersections:
• Look both ways even if other traffic
has a red light or a stop sign.
– Look to the left first, since
vehicles coming from the left
are closer to you than vehicles
coming from the right.
– Look to the right.
– Take one more look to the left
in case there is a vehicle or a
pedestrian you did not see the
first time.
• Do not rely on traffic signals.
Some drivers do not obey traffic
signals; so, before you enter an
intersection, look left, right, and
ahead for approaching traffic.
To maintain a space cushion on each
side of your vehicle:
• Do not stay in another driver’s
blind spot. The other driver may
not see your vehicle and could
change lanes and hit you.
• Avoid driving directly alongside
other vehicles on multilane streets
with or without traffic in the opposite
direction. Another driver
might crowd your lane or change
lanes without looking and crash
into you. Drive either ahead of or
behind the other vehicle.
• If possible and when safe, make
room for vehicles entering freeways
even though you have the
right-of-way.
• At freeway exits, do not drive
alongside other cars. A driver
may decide to exit suddenly or
swerve back onto the freeway.
• Keep a space between your vehicle
and parked cars. Someone
may step out from between them,
a vehicle door may open, or a vehicle
may pull out suddenly.
• Be careful when driving near motorcyclists
or bicyclists. Always
leave plenty of room between
your vehicle and any motorcyclists
or bicyclists.
Know What Is Behind You
It is very important to check behind
you before you:
• Change lanes. Look over your
shoulder to make sure you are not
getting in the way of vehicles in
the lane you want to enter.
• Reduce your speed. Take a quick
glance in your mirrors. Also
check your mirrors when you
are preparing to turn into a side
road or driveway and when you
are stopping to pull into a parking
space.
• Drive down a long or steep hill.
Watch for large vehicles because
they can gather speed very
quickly.
• Back up. Backing up is always
dangerous because it is hard to
see behind your vehicle. When
you are backing out of a parking
space:
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