Mirror Mastery - The Key to Safe Driving and Test Success!

Link to Drive Hart https://linktr.ee/drivehart

Series 2 - Critical Knowledge for PDIs - Mirror Discipline - knowing when and why learners should check their mirrors (3 highest reason for test failure in UK)

This podcast unlocks the secrets of mirror discipline with A Graded Approved Driving Instructors (Directors of Drive Hart) Sarah Hart and Julie Clayton, as they steer you through the essentials of using your mirrors for driving safely and acing your driving test. 

Ever wonder why so many learners fail their road test? It often boils down to one critical yet overlooked skill: checking those mirrors! 

We'll guide you through the simple yet powerful techniques of monitoring your surroundings, adjusting your speed, and changing direction.   Sarah and Julie, with their years of instructing experience, know just how to help you develop the kind of mirror mastery that keeps you safe on the roads and test ready.

In this episode, the directors of Drive Hart  talk about  easy-to-remember tips, including the "rainbow" checking technique, ensuring you'll never forget to scan those all-important mirrors. 

We dissect the moments that demand your attention in the rearview and side mirrors, from signaling turns to adjusting your speed. Whether you're behind the wheel daily or helping a newbie navigate the rules of the road, our conversation equips you with the strategies to maintain flawless mirror discipline. Tune in to transform your driving habits and ensure that your next glance in the mirror reflects a confident, safety-first driver.

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Transcript

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 0:00

Hi, I'm Sarah Hart and I'm joined today by Julie, who's the fellow instructor, and we're going to talk to you today about mirrors and why they're so important. So one of the main reasons why students on driving tests fail their test is because lack of mirror discipline, and it's also a reason for a lot of accidents, you know, because the mirrors help us see what's around our car. So if you're not sure what's around your car, you might very well run into trouble. What we want to do is try and keep it really simple, and if I can help you understand what the mirror discipline should be, then you've got a much better chance of helping your son or daughter understand what their mirror discipline should be.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 0:42

That would be really good, because it is quite complex, isn't?

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 0:45

it. Well, it doesn't have to be. That's the thing. So let's try and make it really simple. So if we think about our speed mirror, that's our rear view mirror. So what I mean by that is, before changing speed, we need to check our rear view mirror. So that's before speeding up or slowing down. So if you think of that as number one rear view mirror before speed okay, that's cool. Okay. So let's think about number two. That will be our door mirrors, and our door mirrors need to be checked before changing direction. So before steering left, we need to check our left door mirror, and before steering right, obviously we need to check our right door mirror. And the reason we're checking the mirrors before changing direction is to make sure that there's no cyclists coming up your inside before you steer left, because obviously you'd steer straight into them. So that's number two a change of direction.

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 1:37

Yes a change of direction mirrors. Okay, so if you're thinking about those two mirrors in particular, if you were turning into a side road on the left, we'd need to check our rear view and our left door mirror before signalling. Ok, ok, so it's rear view and left before signalling. Just before you turn that corner or steer into that side road, you need to check your left door mirror again to make sure that cyclist hasn't sort of snuck up alongside you on the left. So you've come around the corner, you've straightened your steering wheel, you're probably now going to change speed, so therefore you'd need to check your rear view door mirror and, if you can remember belt and braces, check your right door mirror at that point to check that nobody's overtaking you.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 2:20

So just to summarize, change of speed requires a check of the rear view mirror, correct, and if I'm changing direction, I check either side mirror, left or right, whichever way I'm going.

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 2:33

Yes.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 2:34

So if I'm doing a basic left, I'll check my rear view mirror to see who's behind me and I'll check my left mirror door mirror before signaling yeah, and if it's right, it would be behind me and the right mirror.

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 2:47

That's it before signaling okay. And then, before you make your turn, you check the relevant door mirror and then, when you're into a new road and you're potentially speeding up, it's rear view and right.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 2:59

So that's the top three times. That's it, yeah. So what happens when we're stopping number four?

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 3:03

okay. So number four if you're stopping, let's say that you're going to stop on the left. Because you're going to be changing speed, it's your rear view, and because you're going to be steering slightly to the left, it's left or mirror. So it's quite straightforward really, if you break it down into those easy steps so rear view and left before stopping on the left. So therefore, if you were stopping on the right, it'd be rear view and right, exactly that rear view and right.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 3:29

So if I'm stuck at traffic lights and I'm just about to move off, what?

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 3:34

do I check. So if you're at traffic lights, for example, or in a queue of traffic, there's potential for cyclists to be coming up either side of you, so you need to check both left and right door mirrors to check for the cyclist. But you're also changing speed, so you also need to check your rear view. So, to keep it simple, I'd start with the left door mirror, rear view mirror and right door mirror, so you sort of do a rainbow over the top. That means you've checked both sides of the car and you've also checked behind you.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 4:02

OK, so that's quite simple really behind you, okay.

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 4:06

so that's quite simple, really, yeah. And if you're parked on the left and you want to move off and follow the road ahead, you could start by looking over your left shoulder just to check that nothing's happening on the pavement alongside you through your left door mirror rear view mirror now, because we're going to be changing speed when we move off and at the road ahead, right door mirror, because we're going to be moving to the right, and then we've got the blind spot over your shoulder. Okay, that quite simple, yeah.

Julia Clayton (ADI/ORDIT): 4:29

so speed and direction okay so change of speed, rear view mirror, change of direction, the side mirrors left or right, whichever direction you're going, exactly that yeah.

Sarah Jane Hart (ADI/ORDIT): 4:39

So please have a look at our website, wwwsaraharpdrivingschoolcom. We We've got lots of material on there which is updated regularly, and our main aim is to ensure and enable our students pass their tests as safe as possible, and we can do that with your help. So if we work together parents and instructors, I'm sure we're going to get some really good outcomes. So thanks very much.