Changing lanes while driving down the road at any speed comes with the significant risk of colliding with another vehicle. Fortunately, the mirrors on your car give you a quick way to check to see if there is another person or object in your intended path.
With experience, checking the mirrors should become something that you do automatically before you change lanes. But, drivers can also get distracted or ignore the importance of double-checking that no one is in the way. While this might seem like a small oversight, the truth is that many serious accidents begin with this one simple mistake.
Learning why failing to check mirrors leads to preventable collisions can help you identify issues that led to your recent accident. You can also use this guide to reinforce the importance of checking blind spots before you make major decisions as you drive.
Understanding the hazards of failing to check mirrors
Most vehicles have significant blind spots on both sides. Although you will still need to move your head to do a double check that no one is in the path, taking a look in the mirrors helps you prepare for the manoeuvre.
Since a car traveling alongside your vehicle naturally falls into the blind spot, failing to check the side mirror could cause you to miss that someone is directly in your path. This is especially true for large vehicles that have long trailers or other features that further obscure the view of people driving in the lane next to yours.
Sadly, the risk of missing a person or object in your path increases when they are small. For instance, you are less likely to notice a cyclist or pedestrian who is traveling alongside your vehicle. Since the mirror can provide a wider view of the lane, you’ll be more likely to see them and avoid a collision.
Opting to skip looking in the mirror could contribute to significant injuries to a vulnerable person sharing the road. Checking your mirrors regularly can also help you stay aware of when vulnerable people are traveling alongside your vehicle, so that you can give them extra room. For instance, you might choose to move one lane over when it is safe to do so to allow a cyclist additional space.
Ideally, you should also be checking the mirrors every few seconds as you drive. Having heightened awareness of your car’s surroundings can help you have more time to take evasive action as needed. For instance, seeing that another vehicle is making erratic movements or speeding behind you might give you time to move to a safer place on a busy freeway.
Taking a closer look at lane change accidents
Many auto collisions are completely preventable with routine mirror checks. Sideswipe crashes are a common indicator that someone didn’t check their blind spots. This type of accident happens when a driver chooses to change lanes and hits another car traveling in the adjacent lane that they attempt to move into.
Sadly, sideswipe accidents often lead to multi-car pileups because they create hazards in two or more lanes. Since accidents happen fast, the cars traveling behind the initial vehicles often end up experiencing rear-end accidents.
While a sideswipe accident might seem minor compared to a head-on collision, the outcome can still be catastrophic. For instance, striking a motorcycle from the side could cause the driver to lose control and leave the seat of their vehicle. Sideswipes can also generate enough force to cause a rollover. Or, the car taking evasive action might overcorrect and cause the car to roll.
Skipping a mirror check can also lead to merging accidents that typically happen at high speeds. On the freeway, the damage from a high-speed impact could include passengers being ejected from a vehicle. Or, crushing accidents can occur if a sideswipe causes a car to get wedged against another one in the adjacent lane.
Many accidents also occur during backups. If you fail to check your mirror as you are backing your vehicle out of a driveway or parking area, then you could easily hit a pedestrian or other vehicle behind you.
Identifying reasons for missing mirror checks
During driver’s training courses and tests, everyone is expected to adhere to the rules regarding mirror checks. However, people often get overly confident over time, which can lead to aggressive driving habits that ignore the importance of checking blind spots.
Driver fatigue can also cause actions that are typically automatic to be forgotten. Someone who is tired might even think they checked the blind spots, or they may forget that another vehicle moved into the adjacent lane.
Distracted driving is another common cause for people to fail to check the mirror. If you are busy looking at your phone to check directions, then it is easy to forget to check the mirror when you need to change lanes quickly to avoid missing a turn. Planning routes ahead of time can help most people avoid this simple but dangerous mistake.
Failing to check mirrors can happen for a wide range of reasons. But, it is important to hold all drivers responsible for their actions. Whether someone was tired or dealing with bad weather matters little once someone gets seriously injured in a car accident.
If you are in a serious collision, then it is important to begin working to identify the underlying cause. During an investigation, a tireless car accident lawyer can look for signs that someone didn’t do their due diligence by checking the mirror. For instance, it might be clear that a truck driver didn’t check their mirror when they were at fault for a sideswipe collision.
Or, you might have noticed that someone didn’t check their blind spot right before they drove into your path since they were looking at their phone. While you can’t turn back the hands of time, you can move forward with a clear direction for handling the aftermath of a collision. Remembering to check your mirrors and reminding others of the importance of doing so can also help increase safety on public roads.
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