Seeing and Communicating
Seeing and Communicating is about the information loop: what you look at, how often, and how you tell other drivers what you are about to do.
Scanning
- Look 12–15 seconds ahead in the city and a quarter mile or more on the highway. Check mirrors every 5–8 seconds and before every lane change.
- Know your blind spots: both sides and directly behind the trailer. If you cannot see the tires of the car behind you in the mirror, that driver cannot see you either.
Communicating
- Signal at least 100 feet before a turn, and brake early so your lights warn drivers behind you.
- Use headlights in rain, fog, and at dusk; use low beams in fog, not high beams.
- Four-way flashers are for a stopped or disabled vehicle, not for normal driving.
- The horn is a warning device - not a greeting and not a way to win an argument.
Worked example: You want to turn right into a narrow driveway in a 45 mph zone. Signal more than 100 feet out, move into the right lane, check the right mirror for a cyclist in your blind spot, and swing wide while watching the trailer's rear wheels so they don't clip the curb.
Traps: relying on mirrors without a shoulder check when one is possible; leaving a signal on after a turn; high beams in fog; honking at an aggressive driver and turning a bad moment into a confrontation.