Mirrors and Scanning

Mirrors and scanning

Mirrors and scanning are not just about looking in your mirrors — it's about maintaining a full 360° awareness of your environment so you can anticipate hazards before they become a problem.

A good scan covers:

Far ahead — about 12 seconds down the road.
Mid-range — 4–8 seconds ahead, where hazards may appear more suddenly.
Close range — right in front of your vehicle, where potholes, debris, or pedestrians might emerge.
Sides — including road edges, footpaths, and intersections.
Rear and blind spots — for overtaking vehicles, cyclists, or merging hazards.
Instruments — including your speedometer, fuel gauge, and any warning lights.

Testing Officers in New Zealand will expect consistent, purposeful scanning that fits the environment — more in high-risk or complex areas, slightly less in low-risk or straight-road conditions.

Common test mistakes

Tunnel vision: Staring straight ahead without checking mirrors or surroundings — this leads to missing hazards entering from the sides.
Over-scanning: Looking too frequently without purpose, which takes focus away from the road ahead.
Mirror glances without comprehension: Seeing but not processing what’s there — scanning should be about recognising patterns and predicting possible hazards.

When & Where to Scan

Ahead: Every few seconds, lift your eyes to scan about 12 seconds ahead (roughly the distance you’ll travel in 12 seconds at your current speed). This helps spot hazards early — such as merging traffic, lights changing, or vehicles braking ahead.
Mirrors: Check your mirrors every 15–20 seconds on open roads and more frequently in heavy traffic or before manoeuvres. The focus isn’t just “checking the mirror” but actively identifying and tracking the vehicles you see.
Speedometer: Include your speed check in the same cycle — particularly after acceleration, downhill driving, or entering new speed zones.

Situational Scanning

Approaching intersections: Scan for stop/give way signs, pedestrians, side traffic, and vehicles in your mirrors.
High-speed roads: Look far ahead for brake lights or slow-moving vehicles; keep mirrors in your scanning loop to track fast-approaching cars from behind.
Roundabouts: Focus on vehicles to your right, but keep your peripheral awareness for pedestrians and lane discipline.

Think of scanning like a slow, deliberate “eye loop” that you repeat over and over, shifting your attention between these areas without staring at any one point for too long

Scanning

Blind Spots

Blind spots exist because mirrors can’t show everything. A quick head movement — called a shoulder check — fills this gap.

Turn your chin so it points over the shoulder in the direction you intend to move.
Keep the check quick (less than half a second) to avoid drifting in your lane.
Always combine this with a mirror check — mirrors first, blind spot second.

Advanced Tip: For manoeuvres like a parallel park or lane merge, use the “rainbow scan” method:

Moving left: Right mirror → ahead → rear mirror → left mirror → left blind spot.
Moving right: Reverse that pattern.

12-Second Search

The “12-second search” means looking far enough ahead that you can identify hazards early and respond without sudden braking or swerving.

Practical Example: At 50 km/h, 12 seconds ahead is about 160 m. On the open road at 100 km/h, it’s over 300 m. In both cases, you’re looking far enough to spot:

Roadworks
Slowing traffic
Pedestrians preparing to cross
Intersections coming into view

Advanced Tip: Don’t fixate on the far distance — sweep your eyes from far to near to mid-range and back again. This prevents “tunnel vision” where you miss what’s right in front of you.

Peripheral Vision and Side Awareness

Your side vision is your early-warning system for movement — especially pedestrians, cyclists, or vehicles at intersections.

Keep your head still but move your eyes to sweep the edges of the road.
Pay extra attention in urban areas, where hazards can emerge suddenly from driveways, side streets, or between parked cars.

Signs and Markings

Signs and road markings are non-negotiable instructions or warnings.

Read them as early as possible so you have time to act without abrupt changes.
Prioritise temporary signs, especially speed limits in roadwork areas — these are legally enforceable even if they seem unnecessary.
Use painted lines (lane arrows, stop lines, give way triangles) to anticipate what’s expected before you reach the sign.

Remember, mirrors don't capture everything - always check your blind spots before turning the steering wheel or changing lanes.
Keep your eyes active to enhance your peripheral vision. This will help you spot hazards, signs, jaywalkers, and upcoming intersections more effectively. Being proactive will make it easier to spot moving hazards and speed signs.
Look far and wide to help navigate confusing or faded road markings. This will assist you in determining where you should be on the road.

Mirrors

Use your mirrors to maintain an ongoing mental map of vehicles and objects around you, not just when you’re about to change lanes or turn.

Best Practice:

Frequency: Check mirrors roughly every 8–10 seconds during normal driving. Increase this before and after changing speed, direction, or lanes.
Order: Rear-view mirror first (to see what’s directly behind you), then side mirrors to gauge vehicles on either side.
Set-up: Position mirrors so you can just see the edge of your vehicle in each — this reduces blind spots and increases your usable field of view.

Extra tips and tricks:

Combine mirror checks with other scan points. For example, after checking far ahead, glance at your rear-view mirror, then scan to the left or right edge of the road.
When adjusting your side mirrors, you want to see just a sliver (a few millimetres) of your vehicle. If you can’t see your car at all or see too much of it, it reduces the effectiveness of your mirrors and increases your blind spots.
While it’s best to check your mirrors in sequence to avoid missing anything, always look ahead in between each one to avoid missing something important in front of you. For example, quickly turn your head for a left mirror check, look straight ahead, and repeat this for your rear and right mirrors.
Aim to perform mirror checks every 15 seconds, even in congestion or at high speeds. This helps maintain awareness of your surroundings. To build muscle memory, consider using a metronome app set to 4 beats per minute to remind you to check your mirrors (remember to set this up before driving and put your phone away).

Intermediate scanning skills

Make scanning a habit—scan frequently! As you become more comfortable on the road, start checking your left and right mirrors while navigating simple but unfamiliar roads.

Keep those mirror and blind spot checks going, but also look outside your direct lane. Temporary speed signs, vehicles, e-scooters, and jaywalkers may be present in adjacent areas. Spotting these potential issues early is crucial for safe driving.

Before entering intersections, conduct thorough scans to gather all necessary information. If there are obstructions like bushes or angled roads that make lines hard to see, continue scanning while navigating through the intersection.