The blind spot: Keep it in mind

EXAMPLE

I usually drive my 400cc scooter in the city and I usually take bypasses and sections of highway for work purposes. In short, I change roads and lanes often, and sometimes I am in a hurry because my job requires me to be punctual.

On one occasion, I was merging onto one of these bypasses from another road. The on-ramp was on a pretty tight curve, so I could not see the vehicles very well until I was parallel to the road. When I got to the acceleration and merging lane, I checked appropriately in my left side view mirror to see if there were any cars, I signaled my intention correctly with my blinker and I started to merge.

Nevertheless, when I moved into the lane, I collided with a car that was already in that lane. I had not seen it and, as a result of the crash, I fell to the ground and hurt my knee badly and caused other considerable damage to my scooter. I admit that it was my fault.

Second chance:

Both in a car and on a motorcycle and any other type of vehicle, it is very important for the driver to be aware of what is happening around him/her, especially when changing direction.

One of the key elements that helps give us this control are the side view mirrors. It is essential to use them to avoid scares like that of our protagonist in this “Second Chance.”

Upon reaching the acceleration lane, the scooter rider looked in the side view mirror to check for other vehicles in the lane that he was going to merge into. However, he had not done so correctly because, when he merged, he ran into a car. This car was in the so-called “blind spot,” a space that remains hidden from the driver’s view, both in direct view and in the side view mirror.

To avoid this, the scooter driver should have checked the side view mirror, looking at it with a better angle, or even moving his head to view that blind spot that was hidden back there. It is acceptable for you to turn your head and with a quick glance you can see if you have another vehicle next to you before performing any maneuver.

From what our protagonist says, sometimes he drives too quickly. Speed is not a faithful friend on the road. This is reflected through details like not making sure to check that there are no vehicles in your blind spot.