A shoulder check is a quick turn of your head to look over your shoulder and check the blind spot that mirrors cannot show you. It is done by turning your head approximately 90 degrees to the left or right just before changing lanes, merging, pulling away from a curb, or making a turn.
Key Facts
- Before changing lanes on any road or highway
- Before merging onto a highway or freeway
- Before pulling away from a curb or parking spot
- Before making a left or right turn at an intersection
- Before pulling into or out of a driveway
In this article
Why Mirrors Are Not Enough
Every vehicle has blind spots: areas beside and behind the car that your side and rear-view mirrors do not fully capture. The most significant blind spot is the zone directly to your left-rear and right-rear, roughly alongside your rear bumper and back door. A vehicle in this zone can be completely invisible in your mirrors. The shoulder check closes that gap.
How to Do a Shoulder Check
A shoulder check means turning your head, not just glancing at a mirror. Turn your head approximately 90 degrees toward the direction you are moving. You should be looking over your shoulder, not just at your peripheral vision. The check should be brief but genuine: a quick, direct look into the blind spot zone. Then return your eyes to the road ahead.
When Shoulder Checks Are Required
Shoulder checks are required any time you move the vehicle laterally or pull away from a stopped position.
- Before changing lanes on any road or highway
- Before merging onto a highway or freeway
- Before pulling away from a curb or parking spot
- Before making a left or right turn at an intersection
- Before pulling into or out of a driveway
- Before reversing from a parking stall
Shoulder Checks on the G2 Road Test
Failing to do shoulder checks is one of the most common reasons students fail the G2 road test. Examiners watch specifically for head movement. A mirror check alone, even a thorough one, is not enough. If you move into another lane or away from a curb without an obvious head turn, the examiner will mark it as a missed observation. This can accumulate quickly into a failed test.
Related Questions
How to Do a Proper Shoulder Check While Driving
A proper shoulder check means turning your head approximately 90 degrees toward the direction you are moving to visually confirm your blind spot is clear. Check your mirrors first, signal your intention, then do the shoulder check immediately before you move the vehicle. The head turn must be obvious and deliberate, not just a glance.
Read answerHow Do You Do a Lane Change on the Driving Test?
To do a lane change on the driving test, check your mirrors, signal, check your blind spot with a shoulder check, merge gradually into the next lane while maintaining speed, and cancel your signal. Missing the shoulder check is one of the most common automatic fails on Ontario road tests.
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Certain actions on the G2 road test result in an immediate automatic fail, regardless of how well you did otherwise. These include running a red light or stop sign, driving dangerously, hitting any object, failing to yield to a pedestrian, or any action that forces the examiner to grab the wheel or use the dual controls.
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