Passing and Changing Lanes

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Passing and changing lanes are complex driving skills which will require a great deal of practice for your teen to learn. Make certain your teen masters the basics in low-level traffic first.

Passing

Help your teen practice the following approach to passing:

• Before making a decision to pass another vehicle, ask yourself if it is necessary, legal and safe.
• Look ahead and make sure there is plenty of room to pass.
• Check your mirrors and blind spot.
• Signal in the direction you intend to pass.
• Increase speed to at least 10 mph faster than the car you are passing, but stay within the legal speed limit.
• Move smoothly into the passing lane and change your signal to the opposite direction.
• Check your blind spot.
• Return to the lane when you can see the headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror.
• Turn off your signal and resume a safe and legal speed.
• Check your rearview mirror.

Changing Lanes

Help your teen practice the following approach to changing lanes:

• Check your mirrors.
• Look to the front, to the back, to the side and in your blind spot for a gap in traffic that is stable.
• Use your turn signal to tell other drivers you want to change lanes. Check your blind spot again.
• Maintain your speed or increase it if needed. NEVER slow unnecessarily.
• Move to the new lane purposefully and gradually at a slight angle.
• Adjust your speed to the traffic around you. Turn off your signal. And check your rearview mirror.
• Create "open space" to the front, rear and sides of your car.

Improper lane changes and passing are among the top ten leading causes of teen crashes.