Remember To Do Shoulder Checks When Turning
· 2 min readNearly got into an accident on my lunch break today. I was turning left on an intersection that had two left turn lanes. I was on the second left turn lane, which was a left-turn/pass-through lane. The driver on the leftmost left turn lane, was only supposed to turn left (because it was a left turn only lane), decided to drive straight through. He nearly ran over my car as I was trying to turn left. The only thing that saved me from that accident is that I performed a lifesaver/shoulder check as I was turning left.
The lifesaver/shoulder check is a defensive driving check that you do when turning. The reason for doing so is to make sure no one is trying to pass you on the side that you are trying to turn to. It is called a “lifesaver” because doing so can literally save your life if you're riding a motorcycle or a bicycle. It is something that I learned, which turned into a habit, while riding motorcycles a decade ago.
Just to add some context, my car is equipped with blind spot monitors. It did beep as we were entering the intersection. I also could see the car on my driver side mirror. Of course just because my blind spot monitors beeped and I could see the car in my mirrors, doesn't mean that the driver was going to drive straight through. He could have been just close at that point and then eventually would turn left. Which is why it is still critical to actually do a shoulder check right before or as you are turning, to make absolutely sure no one is going to run into you.
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