1.8  LANE CHANGING with attitude 

Negotiating your car through heavy traffic on a multiple-laned road can be a daunting task for the inexperienced driver. Fear of having to merge, change lanes or turn in busy city traffic keeps even older drivers restricted to the quiet suburbs.

                                                                      



Interacting with other traffic requires correctly adjusted mirrors. This side mirror needs moving out, to show the space beside your car.

Five steps for lane changing:

1. Check mirrors.
Look carefully and ask yourself,
who is where? doing what? how fast?

2. Indicate.
If there is a natural gap, indicate just prior to the gap.
(In real heavy traffic indicate anyway - see below)

3. Maintain or adjust speed.
If at all possible keep up with the flow of traffic. If there is a gap ahead of you, increase speed to accelerate into the gap (unless you have to brake the speed limit). If clear behind you, slowing down may be in order to let traffic beside you pass quicker.

4. Check blindspot (shoulder check).
Every motor-cyclist has a story to tell, about a car or truck driver not spotting them in their blindspot, causing a near collision. Worse still, many have lost their lives by rushing motorists who did not bother to turn their head before changing lanes.

5. Move.
Don’t turn the wheel very much or rapidly. Just a slight adjustment will achieve a smooth lane change. Cancel the indicator. Late model vehicles have an inbuilt return spring. Simply hold the indicator down as long as required. Let go and the spring will return it to the off position.

 

If there is no natural gap in the flow of traffic and you want to change lanes, indicate regardless. Your attitude is: ‘Please someone make a gap for me’. Most drivers are happy to accomodate you. Watch for a signal, such as flashing headlights, a wave or a car holding back to create a gap. To indicate (asking for a gap), but then not noticing that a friendly motorist is making space to let you in, is frustrating!

A motorist with the wrong attitude says: ‘Nobody is letting me over, but there is a tiny gap, I’ll squeeze in there’. With one flick of the blinker, or no indication at all, they force their way into a tiny gap, leaving no safety margin. If one vehicle brakes unexpectedly, a chain collision is the result. Even if no accident occurs, thoughtless actions such as these, add to the frustration on our roads.

 

	Wrong place: Don’t change lanes approaching a T-junction, traffic lights or across an intersection. Leave a safety margin when changing lanes.
No safety margin: If the van suddenly brakes to turn, a rear-end collision is almost inevitable. Leave a safety cushion around your vehicle.

 

It is legal to change two or more lanes at once, if safe to do so.

How often should you look in the mirror?

Ask five drivers and you will get five different answers. There is no specific timelapse between checks. As a general guide check the rear-view mirrors before...

 

...changing speed (slowing or speeding up)

...changing direction (diverging around obstacles, lane changing etc.)

...indicating (correct timing of mirror and indicator is vital)

...any hazard (anything that poses potential danger)

In heavy traffic the mirrors obviously play a greater role than on a country drive. When driving through a city centre you may need to check behind every 5 seconds or so. The habit of looking into the mirror every time before braking must be developed right from the first lesson.

 

Your safety is

DRIVING PLUS

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