For many of us, the very first thing we were taught when learning to drive was to ´mirror, signal, manoeuvre´. My driving instructor told me that even if I couldn´t remember to check in the mirror before I did anything, I had to learn to cast my eyes in their direction because it was a major no-no to not check your mirrors before you carried out any manoeuvre and the examiner would be waiting to see if I did it or not.
Over the course of time, drivers develop their mirror-using skills by taking a quick look and ´scanning´ - sometimes also using a glance over their shoulder to make sure there´s nothing in their blind spot. There are special mirror attachments available in motoring equipment stores to help reduce these blind spots and many find them helpful in reducing the danger.
Scanning mirrors involves checking all three of the mirrors in sequence, starting with a side mirror, then the rear-view mirror and finally finishing on the other side. This allows the driver to get a full picture of what is going on around them.
As we are all away, things can change in an instant on the road, and before you commit to a manoeuvre you should always make sure that you check your mirrors.
Unfortunately, it seems that many drivers on our roads today don´t know how to use a mirror, and if they took a little more time checking the road it would probably cut down significantly on the amount of accidents we see on our roads.
Ideally, if you are turning right, you should check first your left mirror, then your interior mirror and then your right side mirror. Right is last because that is the way you are turning, and in most cases should let you know if it is safe to put on the indicators.
If you are moving into another lane however, it´s a good idea to check quickly over your shoulder after you have checked your interior mirror. Again, this reassures you that there is nothing sitting in your ´blind spot´ waiting to crash into you as you are changing lanes. But don´t take too long - just a glance should be enough and you must remain concentrated on the road ahead of you.
Remember, they taught Mirror, Signal, Manouevre for a reason - because it works! And don´t forget that the faster you are travelling the more you should be using your mirrors.