The mirrors and hazards

A hazard is any situation that involves you being in some risk or danger. Hazards may cause you to slow down or change course.

When approaching a hazard, you should use your mirrors and be prepared to change speed and/or direction.

Hazards include

• bends in the road
• junctions
• pedestrian crossings
• roadworks
• livestock on the road.

Always check your mirrors in good time, and before you change direction, to decide

• whether a signal is necessary
• whether it’s safe to change speed or direction.

Keeping up to date

Keep up to date with the position and speed of traffic behind you.

Good drivers always know as much about the conditions behind as they know about the situation ahead.

Traffic positions change rapidly on some roads. Frequent glances in mirrors keep you up to date with what’s behind. How frequently you do this depends on road and traffic conditions.

Driving on high-speed roads

When driving on motorways or dual carriageways, check your mirrors earlier than you would on ordinary roads.

Higher speeds are more difficult to judge and situations can develop more quickly.