What is a driver's blind spot?

What is a driver's blind spot?

• A. The space directly in front of your vehicle
• B. Areas not visible in your mirrors; must be checked by turning your head
• C. The area behind you directly
• D. The lane to the left when turning left

Answer: (B)

Blind spots are the parts of the road around your vehicle that your mirrors don’t show. Because side mirrors are angled to reflect traffic only within a certain range, there are areas off to the sides that you can’t see unless you turn your head and physically look over your shoulder. Checking these zones by head movement before changing lanes or merging is how you ensure there isn’t a vehicle in those unseen areas. The space directly in front of your vehicle is visible through the windshield, so it’s not defined as a blind spot in typical driving safety. The area behind you is addressed by the rear-view mirror, and while there are limits there too, the standard definition of a blind spot focuses on the sides that aren’t visible in mirrors. The lane to the left when turning left is simply a road position, not a blind spot.

Blind spots are the parts of the road around your vehicle that your mirrors don’t show. Because side mirrors are angled to reflect traffic only within a certain range, there are areas off to the sides that you can’t see unless you turn your head and physically look over your shoulder. Checking these zones by head movement before changing lanes or merging is how you ensure there isn’t a vehicle in those unseen areas.

The space directly in front of your vehicle is visible through the windshield, so it’s not defined as a blind spot in typical driving safety. The area behind you is addressed by the rear-view mirror, and while there are limits there too, the standard definition of a blind spot focuses on the sides that aren’t visible in mirrors. The lane to the left when turning left is simply a road position, not a blind spot.