How often should you check your mirrors while driving?

Checking your mirrors regularly while driving is essential for maintaining awareness of your surroundings and ensuring safe driving practices. This action allows you to monitor traffic conditions, the position of other vehicles, and any potential hazards that may be approaching from behind or to the sides. By incorporating mirror checks into your driving routine, you can anticipate changes in traffic, make informed decisions about lane changes, and react more quickly to any unexpected situations.

Having consistent, frequent checks also helps you stay aware of blind spots—areas around your vehicle that aren't easily visible through your mirrors or windows. Instead of limiting mirror checks to specific intervals, such as every five minutes or only during lane changes, the best approach is to develop a habit of checking your mirrors at regular intervals, which enhances overall road safety.

This proactive behavior contributes to a defensive driving strategy, helping to reduce the risk of accidents and ensuring that you are aware of vehicles and cyclists around you at all times.