“When you are thinking of turning right, the first thing you need to do is check your mirrors to find out how your right turn will affect following traffic. You can’t make the final decision to turn until you know that it’s safe.
You might have already checked your mirror when passing a right turn warning sign or when instructed to turn by your driving instructor or sat-nav, but you are now checking as part of your hazard routine.
To make sure that it’s safe to turn, you can use all your mirrors, however the most useful mirrors when turning right will probably be the interior mirror and the right door mirror, in that order.
Your interior mirror will give you a picture of what is happening well behind. The right door mirror would tell you whether there is any immediate problem close behind and to the right, for example a motorcyclist who might be thinking of overtaking.
Your mirrors will tell you if there’s anything happening behind that might make it unsafe or unwise to turn. This is why the initial mirror checks must come before you confirm your intention with a signal.
You might need to use your mirrors several times during the manoeuvre.
The key points are:
– Check your mirrors first to make sure it’s safe to turn.
– You can use all your mirrors.
– The most useful mirrors will usually be the interior and right door mirror.
– Always check your mirrors before signalling.
– You will need your mirrors more than once during the manoeuvre.”
