Mirrors... what again?!

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

You need to [...] drive as if you do this every day.

It isn't (or shouldn't be) a show. It should be how you drive every day.

You're quite right, as usual, of course. What I meant could have perhaps been phrased as "Drive as you do every day", but test nerves do tend to interfere with that.

Hope this clarifies.

[RobC]

What is it that i'm supposed to be looking out for that I haven't already seen? I'm not saying that checking mirrors is irrelevant, i'm questioning the rate at which I check mine and i'd like to know what you do.

Right now this means that i'm still training myself to check my mirrors (all three of them guys! ) because i've been told that the examiner will want to see me doing it this much and not because I have found any real-world justification for it and that seems pretty barmy to me.

Mirrors should be checked before any manoeuvre, that is before any change of speed or direction but also frequent checks depending upon the traffic situation. We need to have a 'safety bubble' around us by knowing what is to our front and rear and sides. It is not just seeing the vehicle behind its also seeing what they are doing and by checking your mirrors every few seconds you will see if the vehicle behind is leaving a 2 second gap and whether it is falling back or perhaps closing on you and getting ready to overtake you. Mirrors are essential for planning your drive ahead for example If the vehicle behind isn't leaving a 2 second gap you may want to give more space to the vehicle in front to allow extra braking time.

When changing direction, mirrors should be used in pairs, at other times a glance in the interior mirror may be enough, or when stopped at traffic lights, all 3 mirrors should be checked particularly door mirrors for cyclists and motorcycles that come up alongside and filter when you are stopped.

You are probably checking your mirrors more than you think anyway as the interior and drivers door mirror are in your peripheral vision anyway and movement can be detected without actually looking into them. An examiner should know whether you are checking your mirrors, however it is the nearside door mirror that is the mirror check most often missed.
In order to check the nearside door mirror properly in most cars you need to move your head not just your eyes and having had various tests I have got into the habit of moving my head to check all 3 mirrors which also makes it easy for the examiner!

I have also found that by checking your mirrors frequently you are staying alert and I find it helps me concentrate on driving and makes driving more enjoyable. Too many people drive along on autopilot staring straight ahead and are surprised when a motorcycle appears from 'nowhere' and overtakes them!

[Astraist]

Rob, I've found that when you make a manuever, you should move your head (and not just your eyes) even if the relevant side mirror is on the driver's side.

A slight movement of the head makes the objects in the mirror clearer (especially in cars with small or poorly positioned mirrors) and increase the field of vision you see with your peripheral vision.

[RobC]

Hi Astralist,
Good point I agree you also have better peripheral vision when moving your head to check the drivers door mirror.

Also the purpose of checking mirrors is LADA, look and ASSESS before deciding to act on the information. If you see a car 2 seconds behind on a mirror check and it is in the same relative position when you check the mirrors again then you have assessed the situation and still gained the useful information that the car isn't a threat and hasn't encroached into your 'safety bubble'.

[Astraist]

Of course, although I sure know I cannot accurately estimate whether the car behind is a full two seconds to the back. If I just suspect it to be a bit too close, i'd compensate by adding one more second to my forward gap.

[Kimosabe]

I had an awakening, light bulb driving moment for about 2 hours today and i'm so glad I did.

My RoSPA guy suggested that I have a second opinion with another RoSPA observer before putting in for my test. The short version is that I won't be putting in for my test just yet, which i'm very happy to say that and for all the right reasons.

I mentioned previously that I have had some difficulty transferring some of the theory into practical ability. Much of this is because I have this quite bizarre thing called 'dylsexia'. For me, it's often about information becoming muddled in short term before it goes to long term memory and then recovering from the resultant effects. I guess i'm quite hard on myself sometimes and that's because i'm very competitive and admire certain forms of discipline. We all have dips in performance and today just happened to be the day that I dipped. Fortunately for me, the person sitting next to me was well versed in the ways of AD in all it's forms and kindly noted the several areas which I need to make definite improvements in. I won't bore you with it all but suffice to say that even though I get the theory and find myself nodding at your hugely appreciated posts and at the feedback I received today, I am not yet at a high enough standard to pass the test easily with a Gold. Much of this centers around my inability to transfer instruction quickly enough into practice. Over time, I often find I have a deeper grasp of technique as a result of this because I have had to make a concerted effort to work hard to get it right and over a longer time than most, so there are gains.

Today I made some errors which I think are fundamental to AD. I know no drive is perfect and I know that I still have much to learn so i'm treating today's drive as a well earned wake up call and every drive from now on will be a disciplined practice. As it happens, i'm off to the airport in a mo to pick up my missus, so i'll use this time to reflect on what I learned about myself today while driving.

Thanks for reading and supporting what has become a blog. It's all good. Must dash!

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Everyone has a dip. You seem to have led a charmed life so far, so don't sweat about it. You've had a pretty concentrated time recently. Time to take a little breather perhaps, and consolidate. Knowledge absorbed more slowly sticks longer, as I'm sure you know.