What is the safest way to change lanes?

The safest way to change lanes involves signaling your intentions, looking over your shoulder, and checking your mirrors. This approach ensures you communicate with other drivers that you plan to merge into a different lane, which helps prevent misunderstandings. Signaling allows drivers around you to anticipate your move, while checking your mirrors and looking over your shoulder provides a comprehensive view of your surroundings, helping you to spot any vehicles or obstacles that may not be visible in your mirrors alone. This practice minimizes the risk of collisions and enhances overall road safety.

Other methods, such as speeding up before changing lanes, do not take into account the positions of other vehicles and can increase the chance of an accident. Changing lanes quickly without signaling can confuse other drivers, and relying solely on mirrors does not account for blind spots where other vehicles may be located. Therefore, the comprehensive approach of signaling, looking, and checking mirrors is critical for safe lane changes.