How often should you check your mirrors while driving?

Checking your mirrors every 5-8 seconds is essential for maintaining situational awareness while driving, especially for larger vehicles like those driven with a CDL Class A license. This frequent checking helps ensure that you are aware of other vehicles, pedestrians, or hazards in your vicinity.

Mirrors play a critical role in increasing your visibility and understanding of your environment, as they allow you to monitor the space around your vehicle without having to turn your head excessively. By incorporating this regular mirror checking into your driving routine, you can better anticipate potential dangers, make informed decisions, and react promptly to changing traffic conditions.

In contrast, longer intervals between checks can leave you unaware of developments in your surroundings, which can be particularly dangerous in a commercial driving context where your vehicle's size requires extra caution. Only checking mirrors when changing lanes is insufficient and can lead to accidents due to poor situational awareness. Thus, the practice of checking mirrors every 5-8 seconds is crucial for safe and effective driving.