Before changing lanes on an Oregon road, what should you do?
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A.
Check your side and rearview mirrors; properly adjusted mirrors make a shoulder glance unnecessary.
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B.
Signal, check your mirrors, then glance over your left shoulder no matter which direction you are moving.
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C.
Increase your speed, begin moving over, then signal once you are in the new lane.
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D.
Signal, check mirrors, then glance over your shoulder. Correct
The answer is "Signal, check mirrors, then glance over your shoulder."
Before changing lanes, use your turn signal, check your side and rearview mirrors for traffic approaching you from behind, and then glance over your shoulder in the direction you are moving (left shoulder if moving left, right shoulder if moving right). The shoulder glance covers the blind spot, the area around your vehicle you cannot see from the driver's seat even with the use of your mirrors. You are pulled toward B if you learned the shoulder-check as an always-left glance, but the manual matches the shoulder to the direction of the move.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Check your side and rearview mirrors; properly adjusted mirrors make a shoulder glance unnecessary.
The manual defines the blind spot as the area around your vehicle you cannot see from the driver's seat even with the use of your mirrors. The shoulder glance is required no matter how well your mirrors are adjusted. This answer trusts the popular mirror-aiming trick that promises well-angled side mirrors erase every blind spot, making the shoulder glance feel like an optional extra.
B. Signal, check your mirrors, then glance over your left shoulder no matter which direction you are moving.
The shoulder glance matches the direction of the move: left shoulder if you are moving left, right shoulder if you are moving right. Always glancing left leaves the right-side blind spot unchecked on a right lane change. This answer defaults to the driver-side glance most driver's-ed lessons introduce first, treating a left shoulder-check as the universal habit for any lane change.
C. Increase your speed, begin moving over, then signal once you are in the new lane.
Signaling comes first, not last. The manual tells you to use your turn signal before you change lanes so other drivers know your plan; moving over before signaling defeats the signal's purpose. This answer lifts the speed-up step from the Passing section ('Turn on your signal, increase your speed') and pushes the signal to the end of the sequence.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Changing Lanes," p.30..
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