You are preparing to change lanes on a Texas roadway. According to the manual, what should you do to check for motorcyclists?
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A.
Check the lane only when other cars are visible in traffic.
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B.
Check your rearview mirror once before changing lanes.
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C.
Signal early and rely on the signal to warn any motorcyclist.
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D.
Check mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane. Correct
The answer is "Check mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane."
The manual is explicit that motorcyclists hide in blind spots because their profile is small, so a mirror-only glance is not enough: the check has to include the blind spots. Option B reads the lane change like a driver used to scanning for other cars, where a quick rearview flick catches most everything, but a motorcyclist sits in the gap that mirror does not cover.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Check the lane only when other cars are visible in traffic.
The manual makes the visual check a step for every lane change, not a conditional one. This answer reads the check as tied to visible traffic, a habit that fails specifically because a motorcycle stays out of sight until it is next to the car.
B. Check your rearview mirror once before changing lanes.
The rearview mirror does not cover the blind spot where a motorcycle is likely to sit. This answer applies a scanning habit built around cars, which are large enough to catch in the rearview, to a motorcycle small enough to disappear in the same gap.
C. Signal early and rely on the signal to warn any motorcyclist.
A turn signal announces intent but does not check whether the space is actually clear. This answer treats the signal as a substitute for the visual check, borrowed from drivers who assume a warned motorist will always yield.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "A Car's Blind Spot," p.52..
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