Summary

• NOT shoulder checking is the most common mistake on a driver’s test

• Shoulder (Head) checking is the first skill that driver’s lose after getting their license

• Blind areas around your vehicle are dynamic. In other words, these blind areas change when your vehicle moves along the roadway

• Shoulder check every time your turn the vehicle or change lanes

• To shoulder check, turn your head quickly 90° in the direction you’re moving the vehicle

• You’re using your peripheral vision to quickly scan the blind areas around your vehicle

• Shoulder checking is a learned skill. To do it successfully you must have space in front of your vehicle to have “time” to work

Shoulder (head) checking is the most critical driving habit you can develop.

Shoulder checking, it’s the first skill that drivers lose after getting their driver’s license.

But today we’re going to give you some information to show you that it is a critical skill to be a safer, smarter driver.

And as well, if you don’t do it on a driver’s test, you’re almost guaranteed that you’re not going to pass.

Stick around, we’ll be right back with that information.

Moving Away From the Curb Correctly

Mirror, signal, shoulder check, checking the mirror, shoulder checking, and signaling to the left to pull away from the curb here.

And shoulder checking again.

Stopping at the correct stopping position, nobody coming, no pedestrians, shoulder checking.

And it’s just a 90° degree turn of the head.

And as you saw there, I shoulder checked twice.

Once as I approached the intersection, and again, immediately before leaving, because traffic is dynamic and always changing.

Shoulder check left into the turning lane, coming up and stopping at the edge of the intersection, which is the front crosswalk line.

Turning Left and Shoulder Checking

Car proceeds, I start moving straight into the intersection, shoulder check immediately before turning left.

Create Driving Habits that Will Keep You Safe When You Make Mistakes

And many smart drivers will say, “Well, why am I shoulder checking left?

There’s nothing there.” Develop the habit, skills and abilities that will keep you safe.

You need to put the habit in place so that you don’t forget.

It’s like applying the parking brake.

You simply apply the parking brake every time, and that way you don’t have to think about whether you’re on a hill or not.

And as well, your car will still be there when you get back to return to your vehicle, because you don’t want it rolling away down a hill, nearly missing some nuns crossing the street, crashing into a tree and burning in a fiery inferno.

So apply the parking brake, shoulder check every time you change direction of the vehicle.

I was sitting there for a while, traffic changed into the turning lane, nobody there.

Checking, shoulder checking, and we’re turning and looking in the direction we want to go and proceeding.

Turning Right on Red & Shoulder Checking

Shoulder checking, approximately half a block, 100 feet from the intersection, coming to a complete stop, because we’re turning right on a red light.

Shoulder checking again immediately before proceeding.

Shoulder checking is simply 90 degrees in the direction that you’re moving the vehicle.

So I’m moving the vehicle left, 90 degrees, quick head turn.

Many beginner drivers will say the car goes in the direction I want it to go when I’m shoulder checking.

What’s happening is that you’re looking in the direction you want to go, you’re going too slow, and the vehicle drifts in that direction.

So you need to speed up your shoulder check.

Quick, 90° degrees.

All right, scanning the intersection, moving up, checking the intersection, there’s a vehicle approaching, light has gone green, shoulder check again and proceed.

And unfortunately, new drivers, some of them think that it is dangerous.

The reason it is dangerous is because you’re not allowing enough space in front of your vehicle to allow yourself to work.

So there’s nobody in front of me here.

A Better Left Turn to Keep You Safe

I know that I’m going to turn left here, shoulder checking, and I proceed into the left turn lane and I’m shoulder checking again, stopping behind the stop line.

It just rolls under the front of the car.

When it just rolls under the front of the car, bring the vehicle to a stop and you are the correct distance behind the stop line.

Okay, and quick shoulder check, and we proceed around into our lane, left lane to left lane.

Quick shoulder check immediately before turning, looking in the direction we were going to go and proceed.

Shoulder check, 90 degrees, 90 degrees.

Positioning the vehicle, we’re turning left, stop line just rolls under the front of the car.

We can’t see, so we move forward to the edge of the intersection.

Nobody coming, shoulder checking again, and we proceed.

They said you’re creating that habit.

And as I said in the introduction, the first skill that drivers lose after getting their license is shoulder checking.

They simply stop shoulder checking.

Not shoulder checking is to driving, what not checking to see if a weapon is loaded is to gun safety.

Why on any planet would you pick up a weapon, not check to see if it was loaded?

You would never do that.

So why would you move a 3,000 pound vehicle at speed and not check to see if there was another road user in your blind area?

Because there are places around the vehicle that you can’t see.

Observation Technology is Just a Backup to Good Driving Skills

And I know what some of you are going to say.

You’re going to say, “Well, I have blind spot detectors.

“I have convex mirrors, I can see other people.” No, you can’t.

And technology, convex mirrors, they’re just a backup.

They are not a replacement for good driving skills.

And again here, I’m going to signal that I’m moving back out.

Shoulder checking, the vehicle goes past.

I shoulder check again and I proceed.

Actually, we’re going to go right.

You want to position your car so it’s angled to the right when you’re making the right turn.

Shoulder check immediately before turning.

Back there on the narrow street, the reason I moved over is just courteous.

There were parked cars there.

I could get in beside them and it was safe for me to stop.

And sometimes on a driver’s test to keep safe, you’re going to have to do that.

I didn’t shoulder check when I came up there.

I would have lost demerits on a driver’s test.

So these intersections, you can see I stop at the correct stopping position and then I move to the edge of the intersection, check again on the two-way stop signs and then I proceed.

Smart Points to Remember

Shoulder checking, it’s a critical skill for staying safe after you get your driver’s license.

It’s also a critical skill for passing your driver’s test.

If you fail to shoulder check on a driver’s test, you will not be successful.

Create the habit, keep yourself safe, shoulder check minimum two times every time you change directions of the vehicle and that will make you a safer, smarter driver.

For another video on forward scanning patterns and seeing and observing while driving to stay safe and pass your driver’s test, click here and we’ll see you in the next video.

And remember, pick the best answer, not necessarily the right answer.

Have a great day.