Stage 1 Course Content 9 — Checking for Safety and Signaling, Using the Horn

1. How to Ensure Safety

1. Signaling and Double-Checking for Safety

Vehicles have areas which cannot be seen from the driver's seat (blind spots). Before getting into a vehicle, check that no people are at the front, rear, left, or right of the vehicle, and that no children are underneath the vehicle.

When starting to move the vehicle, check the surroundings for safety, signal using a turn signal, etc., then check the front, rear, left, and right for safety again using the driver's own eyes, rearview mirrors, etc.

Check → Signal → Check again → Action

Areas that cannot be seen from the driver's seat (Blind spots)

※ The size of a blind spot is different depending on the type of vehicle or the build of the driver.

Reference: Ensuring safety while traveling Although the field of view from the driver's seat of an automobile varies depending on the structure of the automobile itself, there are areas in which vehicles and pedestrians are not visible. In particular, be cautious in large automobiles, medium-sized automobiles, and semi-medium-sized automobiles, as their areas in which vehicles and pedestrians are not visible from the driver's seat are wider than that of regular automobiles.

Starting to move from the edge of the road Compared to regular automobiles, the bodies of large, medium-sized, and semi-medium-sized automobiles are longer to the front and rear of the axles, and the vehicle body passes outside of the paths of the tires. Therefore, when starting to move after being parked or stopped at the edge of the road, be cautious so as not to hit vehicles, pedestrians, etc. with the front or rear of the vehicle body.

When getting in or out of a vehicle

  1. Check the surrounding conditions, especially whether a vehicle is approaching from behind.
  2. In areas with heavy traffic, get in and out of the vehicle using the left doors.
  3. When closing the door after getting into the vehicle, first bring the door close (still open about 10 cm), pause, then shut it forcefully.
  4. When getting out, open the door a little, pause, and check more for safety before getting out. The action of opening the door a little and pausing also serves as a signal to other traffic.

Cautions for reversing

  1. Backing up when starting to move is dangerous. When parking in a garage, etc., back into it to make it easy to start moving.
  2. When backing up to start to move is unavoidable and when visibility to the rear is poor or when backing up from a narrow road to a wider one, have a passenger, etc. help in ensuring safety to the rear as well as to the left and right.

2. Ensuring Safety While Traveling

While driving, check for safety sufficiently on both sides and behind, not only forward. The method is described below.

  1. Do not focus on one point, but try to look at a wide area.
  2. Use rearview mirrors, etc. There are areas not visible in the interior rearview mirror or the side mirrors. Check the areas not visible in the rearview mirrors by looking directly over the shoulder (looking with own eyes).
  3. Ask for the cooperation of passengers.

2. When and How to Signal

Signaling is for notifying others when moving to the center or the left edge of the road to turn right or left, cut across the road, make a U-turn, etc.; when parking or stopping at the edge of the road; when starting to move from the edge of the road; when overtaking, etc. It is important that the movement of the vehicle is conveyed correctly to surrounding traffic.

  1. When turning left or right, changing course, making a U-turn, reversing, etc., or when exiting a roundabout, a driver must check for safety beforehand using rearview mirrors, etc., signal, then continue to signal until the maneuver is completed.
  2. If the turn signal returns to its original position while signaling, the driver must activate the turn signal again to signal.
  3. When the turn signal is difficult to see due to the reflection of the evening sun, etc., use a hand signal along with the turn signal.

Timing and method when signaling

When to signal Timing (place) to signal Signaling methods
Turning left (excluding roundabouts) When the vehicle reaches the point 30 m before the place where the driver intends to take the action (or the intersection, when turning left at an intersection) Turn on the left turn signal, or stick the right arm out of the vehicle and bend the elbow to raise the hand vertically, or stick the left arm out of the vehicle and extend it horizontally.
Exiting a roundabout After passing beside the exit before the desired exit (if exiting at the first exit, when entering the roundabout) ※ Do not signal when entering a roundabout. (same as above)
Changing course to the left while traveling in the same direction (Changing course to the left) Approximately 3 seconds before starting to change course (same as above)
Turning right or making a U-turn (excluding roundabouts) When the vehicle reaches the point 30 m before the place where the driver intends to take the action (or the intersection, when turning right at an intersection) Turn on the right turn signal, or stick the right arm out of the vehicle and extend it horizontally, or stick the left arm out of the vehicle and bend the elbow to raise the hand vertically.
Changing course to the right while traveling in the same direction (Changing course to the right) Approximately 3 seconds before starting to change course (same as above)
When proceeding slowly or stopping When the driver wants to proceed slowly or stop Turn on the brake lights or stick the arm out and extend it downward diagonally.
Reversing When the driver wants to reverse Turn on the reversing lights, or extend the arm out of the vehicle, extend it downward diagonally, and move it back and forth with the palm facing the rear.

3. Prohibition against Unnecessary Signaling

When the maneuver of turning right or left, changing course, making a U-turn, reversing, etc. has completed, the driver of the vehicle must promptly stop signaling. Further, a driver must not signal unnecessarily.

4. When to Use the Horn

A driver of a vehicle must sound the horn in the following cases.

  1. When passing a "sound horn" sign — Sound horn at the traffic sign.
  2. When passing one of the following places inside a "sound horn zone" as indicated by traffic signs:
    • An intersection with poor visibility
    • A corner of a road with poor visibility
    • A top of an upward slope with poor visibility

※ The horn may not be sounded when visibility is good. It does not mean "keep sounding the horn throughout the sound horn zone".

5. Restrictions on Using the Horn

A driver must not sound the horn without due cause, in cases (places) that are not designated. (Prohibition against improper use of the horn)

However, a driver may sound the horn when it is necessary to avoid danger.

Attention: When necessary to avoid danger Refers to cases when sounding the horn is the only way to avoid danger.

Improper uses of the horn Improper use of the horn not only produces noise but may also provoke the other party, leading to trouble. A driver must not use the horn in the following cases.

Let's Try — Course Content 9: Check your understanding with right/wrong questions. (See page 275 for answers.)

  1. When a driver looks out of a vehicle while sitting in the driver's seat, there are areas which visibility is obstructed by the vehicle body, etc. These areas that are not visible are called the blind spots.
  2. It is good to cultivate a habit of walking around the vehicle once to check for safety before getting in and starting to move the vehicle or reversing.
  3. If a driver checks for safety to the front, rear, left, and right before signaling to start moving, there is no need to check for safety again after signaling.
  4. Signaling too early when changing course disturbs other vehicles, so the safest method is to turn the steering wheel right away after signaling to change course.
  5. When making a U-turn or turning right, a driver must signal when arriving at the point 30 m before the point of the maneuver. (excluding roundabouts)
  6. When proceeding slowly or stopping, the signal should be given when the driver is about to start the maneuver.
  7. [Image of hand signal] This hand signal of a driver is the signal for reversing.
  8. The timing to stop signaling after completing a maneuver such as a right or left turn is approximately 3 seconds after completing the maneuver.
  9. [Image of sound horn zone sign] In a zone marked by this traffic sign, a driver must sound the horn at intersections with poor visibility, corners with poor visibility, and on a top of upward slopes with poor visibility.
  10. When the signal has turned green but a vehicle ahead has not started moving, a driver may sound the horn to urge it to start moving.

(正: right, 誤: wrong)