Mirrors, Signal, Manoeuvre

This is the most useful and fundamental routine any driver should be using on the road. When teaching learners to drive and pass the driving test. This key routine "mirrors, signal, manoeuvre" will be looked for by examiners and other drivers alike. Without this simple routine passing the driving test will be virtually impossible.

Mirrors

It is necessary to appreciate that every action a driver makes affects another road user, period.

Next, it's important to understand that as a vehicle driver of any kind, you must not cause another driver to change speed or direction unnecessarily. To do so is an inconvenience and potentially dangerous; it is unlikely you will know what other drivers are thinking or doing inside their vehicle at that time, and of course you cannot account for what may be a random movement by another.

When teaching, and learning to drive it will be necessary to know a basic understanding; "before doing anything different from your present actions, check the mirrors first".
When travelling forwards, our vision is forward-looking and the perception (with practice) will be highly accurate. If, as a driver you were to suddenly change speed or direction for whatever reason, how would you know if it would be safe to make that action if surrounded by traffic in busy roads, or if you were in a highly pedestrianised area?

The necessity for "mirrors before doing anything different" now starts to become clearer. A driver must check its safe at the rear and rear-sides of his vehicle before performing an action which may cause another driver to change their speed or direction. To do anything otherwise could be a fatal error on the behalf of the driver, I'm sure a consequence many of us would rather we didn't have to live with.

Signal

It is true that with plenty of practice and experience a driver can start to understand subtle body language of other vehicles and their intended movements. To the novice driver these clues are harder to detect and of course some new drivers may not be interested at all.

A failure to provide correct signalling can cause other road users to miss opportunities, or make a move which could in turn help you, as a road user.

Signalling incorrectly may confuse or mislead other road users to think you are performing a different action from the one you may actually be doing. This could be even more dangerous. For example, if you were to signal before a side road on the left, but have intention to turn left but to stop on the left after the junction, an awaiting driver trying to pull out of the junction may believe you are turning left and perceive that as an opportunity to pull out and make progress, the driver may then pull out in front of you which could result in a collision. Something which could have been avoided had the signal not been misleading.

Manoeuvre

A Manoeuvre is an action, or a change of speed or direction. This could be turning left like the previous anecdote or overtaking on a dual carriageway. If you were to reverse park, the MSM routine is still necessary as observations are necessary, a reverse gear will activate reversing lights (signal) and it will be a manoeuvre to park.

The motion of mirrors, signal, and manoeuvre is a routine. It's simply emphasising the necessity of checking, looking and planning, communicating, and making a move that as a driver you understand to be fully safe, and will be one least likely to cause other road users to change speed or direction.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6263636

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