How should you check for motorcycles or bicycles before changing lanes?

• A. Look in mirrors and over your shoulder toward the lane you will enter.
• B. Look only in the rearview mirror.
• C. Look at the dashboard gauges.
• D. Check your GPS.

Answer: (A)

Checking for motorcycles or bicycles before changing lanes means using both your mirrors and a quick over-the-shoulder look toward the lane you plan to enter. Mirrors help you see vehicles behind you in the lane you’re in, but they can miss riders in your blind spots to the sides. Turning your head and looking over your shoulder toward the target lane gives you a direct view of that space, so you can spot motorcycles or bicycles that might be riding beside or alongside you. This helps you avoid drifting into someone’s path and lets you judge whether there’s a safe gap to merge.

Relying only on the rearview mirror can still leave you blind to riders in adjacent lanes. Dashboard gauges and GPS don’t provide relevant information about other road users, so they aren’t helpful for this safety check.