Distributing your attention
Keep your main focus further down the road. Check nearby cars, the surface, and your mirrors briefly so you do not lose the wider picture.
Far ahead: roughly 100–300 m
- traffic speed and density
- traffic signals and large signs
- the shape of the road
- a wave of braking several cars ahead
- places where traffic flow is about to change
The middle distance: roughly 30–50 m
Do not stare at the nearest car's trunk. Look farther ahead through traffic and to either side of the car ahead. Follow its movement with peripheral vision. Look directly at it when it starts braking, shifts position, or the gap is closing quickly.
Nearby
- a pothole or mud in your path
- the edge of your lane
- a pedestrian, cyclist, or scooter rider nearby
- a car that has already started moving toward you
Mirrors are part of the wider picture
Keep mirror checks brief. In calm conditions, a rough guide of 5–8 seconds can help you remember what is happening behind. Before braking, stopping, or changing position, you need to check more often.
Alternate looking ahead with brief checks
Look farther down the road. Briefly check your mirrors, the surface, or an area where something is changing, then look ahead again.
The car in front
When it is moving predictably, keep track of it in your peripheral vision. Staring only at that car makes it easier to lose awareness of the rest of the situation.
What to look for in the mirrors
Notice who is behind you, how quickly they are approaching, and whether there are cars in adjacent lanes. At the next glance, compare their positions with what you saw before.
After looking away
After a longer look to the side, at the instruments, or in a mirror, look farther down the road again and assess what has changed in the traffic.
Staying focused on one area
Looking far ahead for a long time helps you spot changes early, but you can miss a nearby pothole. Looking just in front of the wheel for too long stops you from anticipating what is happening farther ahead. Looking in a mirror for too long can make you miss changes ahead.
Mechanical scanning
Do not count out 5–8 seconds before your next check. When something is changing nearby, check the mirror or the relevant direction sooner.
Check where you have not looked recently
After looking at only one area for several seconds, check what you have left out: a mirror, a distant point, a side-road entrance, or the surface.
Return to your normal rhythm after a difficult maneuver
When a difficult maneuver is over, do not keep your gaze fixed on one area. Look farther down the road again and check both the mirrors and what is happening beside you.