Seven steps to your driving test success.

1. Make sure that your instructor always does a recap on the previous lesson to check what you knowledge you have retained.


2. Make sure your driving instructor gives you an objective for each lesson (It is vital that you know what you are trying to achieve during the current lesson)


3. Are you being allowed to develop your skills? Once you have mastered the task , it is vital that you are then coached with prompted questions to take responsibility and confirm that learning has taken place.


4. Never be frightened to make mistakes. You’re driving instructor should be encouraging independent driving and giving you help, support and encouragement with positive feedback.


5. By the time you are approaching a test date, you should be driving for long spells on an independent basis, if you are still making lots of mistakes then feedback is vital to you and you will need to focus and practice on weaknesses. Try not to miss any of your pre-booked lessons at this stage as the last few weeks are vital.


6. Always insist on taking a mock test .This is to see how you will perform under pressure while on your driving test. Any weaknesses remaining can be fixed before the big day.


7. If you have been driving on a regular basis with your instructor without his help and avoiding too many mistakes, then there is no reason why you cannot do this during the driving test-driving test examiners are trained to recognise nerves when they assess you’re driving and the odd few mistakes will generally not result in a driving test fail.





Value for your money.

If you are to get the most from your driving lessons, you will need to follow these guidelines, aimless driving around with no firm learning objectives will be a waste of your money and it will also extend your learning period.

With an average of 5-6 six driving test passes every week and well over 550 test passes in the local area we know what we are talking about .

The average 1^st time pass rate at our local driving test centres is around 30%, which is ridiculously low.

At Kelvin White driving school we have an average 1^st time pass rate of around 80%, this is because we work to a tried and tested system. We do not take pupils to test unless we feel they are going to pass (otherwise we waste your time and your money).

We do not have a set amount of hours to complete as each individual will be different; however we do have a strict set of criteria to be covered. The Driving Standards Agency set out a syllabus to be covered and you need to be proficient in all the tasks listed if you are to pass your driving test.

You need to be able to drive independently without the assistance of your driving instructor on a regular basis; if you are still making mistakes during your lessons then these mistakes are likely to escalate when under the pressure of a driving test.

If however you are able to drive during your lessons with only a few errors then this should give you the confidence on test day, many blame nerves for failing, but in reality it’s usually more to do with the lack of consistency.

Feedback from your driving instructor is vital as to your strengths and weaknesses if you are to achieve the required standard.

“My dad said; make sure that you move your head so the examiners can you check them”.

“I check my mirrors because my instructor said that I had to”.

“If I don’t check my mirrors I will fail my driving test”.

Let’s look at the real reason you should check your mirrors.

Use of mirrors before signalling:

Before you apply as signal, it is vital that you know what is happening around you.

What if a motorbike is overtaking and you suddenly apply a signal, he could panic if he thinks you haven’t seen him resulting in a sudden change of direction. By noticing the motorbike in the mirrors, you would have the option to delay the signal and let him pass. Even better would be to notice the motorbike gaining on you with early mirror use and you could then apply the signal at an earlier stage to warn of your intentions.

Use of mirrors before changing direction:

Use of mirrors before changing direction is vital to check what is happening beside you. Think of a situation where you are slowing to turn left and a cycle comes off the pavement or when moving out to pass a parked vehicle and a vehicle is overtaking.

Use of mirrors before slowing down:

Imagine approaching a pedestrian crossing where people are stood waiting to cross, the lights could change at any time and a mirror check shows a vehicle very close behind. You could use the information gained to slow in anticipation of a light change, this will also encourage the following vehicle to slow also. Failure to gain this information could result in having to stop suddenly resulting in the following vehicle being unable to stop and possibly crashing in to the back of you.

Use of mirrors before speeding up.

Think of a situation where you have just emerged in to a new road (minor to major) and once straightened up and checked ahead, the next important issue is what is happening behind. Perhaps you may have misjudged the speed of following traffic and they are approaching faster than you thought. You have the option to accelerate up to the limit (if safe) to get a move on or in a scenario where they have already committed to an overtake, you could then choose to slow and enable them to pass safely. Without the information from the mirrors you would be unaware and as a result be involved in a possible crash.

Correct use of signals

Following on from last week’s blog on the use of mirrors, I would now like to look at the correct use of signals.

Why do we give signals?

The prime purpose is to communicate with other road users and let them know are intentions.

Timing of signals:

When we decide to turn left or right, the timing of our indicator is very important. Should we signal to early it be confusing as following traffic may think we are going to pull up on the left .Timing is also crucial if there is a side road before the one we intend to turn in to, other road users may think that we intend to turn sooner and as a result may pull out in front of us.

Applying a signal to late will be of little use to anyone. Take the example of turning left again, if we do not inform the traffic behind in plenty of time, they may not have time to react especially if they are not concentrating (they could be distracted or on the phone for example)Now we could adopt the attitude that’s their problem but do we need the agro of a rear end shunt?

Use of a signal when changing direction:

Should we use indicators when changing direction? If we are changing lanes and we have following traffic, it’s a very good idea to tell them our intentions or they may overtake before we have the chance to move out.

Changing direction to pass parked cars can often be confusing. Generally it is preferable to use your road position to send a message to following traffic. We can do this by correct positioning. When approaching a parked vehicle on the left, we can position just left of the centre line (right turn position)this should alert following traffic of our intentions to overtake (we can only do two things here overtake or park)It is not wrong to apply an indicator but what if there is a side road on the right! Someone may think we are about to turn right and possibly pull out in front of us. However there will be times when we are not able to position correctly because of other factors (other parked vehicles, narrow road) an indicator will then be required. An indicator should also be used if you think the vehicle behind is looking to move around you.

Using headlights a signal:

Use of headlights as a signal can be very confusing to other road users.

The official meaning of a headlight flash is to warn other road users of your presence. Now we are all well aware that headlamp flashing is widely used as a signal to proceed. Let’s look at a situation where someone wants to cross your path, for example an oncoming vehicle looking to turn right .You flash your headlamps to let them know that you will wait for them to turn, when you do this  other road users will often not check effectively but take “your word for It” that its safe. What if a cyclist is coming up on the left side, they could be unaware of your intentions to wait and the vehicle turning may not see them resulting a collision.

Another factor with headlamp flashing is when you flash to someone that you know coming towards you, what if there is a vehicle waiting to emerge from a side road, they may misinterpret your meaning and pull out.

Signalling to pedestrians:

We often think we are doing pedestrians a favour by waiting and waving them across the road. Waiting for them to cross in itself is not the problem; it’s when we invite them to cross.

They will often “take your word” for it that it’s safe, but what if a cyclist comes up on the inside or a motorcycle is overtaking, they may not have seen the pedestrian or be aware of your attentions resulting in a collision.

Brake lights:

Brake lights are of course very useful to inform following traffic that you are slowing. When you get a situation where you wish to pull up on the left, but an indicator could be confusing when there is a side road to the left, you could squeeze the brakes to inform others that you are slowing and then apply the indicator once passed the junction.

Signalling to move off and stop:

This often a subject for much debate.

Do you need to apply an indicator when moving off from the side of the road?

Generally if there are no other road users in the area then no one is going to see it. When there is traffic approaching from behind, applying a right indicator can be quite confusing as they may think you are about to pull out in front of them. It is often preferable to wait until they have passed to avoid confusion. In a situation where there are approaching vehicles or pedestrians, an indicator will often be beneficial to let them know your intentions.

Applying an indicator when you intend to pull up at the side of the road is vital when there is following traffic. Failure to do this in good time could result in a rear end collision (very popular in the U.K.).

Use of signals can be quite a complex subject as with most things in driving and is not always black or white. Take advice from your driving instructor / trainer as to how to apply the use of signals to differing situations.

Driving lessons in Weston Super Mare.

Independent Driving in Somerset.

Parents beware

Research from the motor insurance bureau suggests that many parents are unknowingly committing motor insurance fraud by ‘fronting’.

Research shows that over 70% of British drivers do not understand what it means to ‘front’ an insurance policy and of those that do, one in five admit to misleading their insurance company and as a result are committing insurance fraud.

Parents that insure a vehicle in their own names to reduce premiums when their son or daughter uses the car the most is one of the most common example of ‘fronting’.

This practice is strictly illegal and in the event of a claim could make the insurance invalid and as a result make any savings on the premium false economy and in fact leave you open to prosecution.

Young drivers have the highest proportion of insurance claims, crashes and fatalities’ on the road and this of course is why premiums are so high.

Over a third of drivers justify ‘fronting’ as being a loophole in the law.

New drivers may like to check out www.i-kube.co.uk  where it’s possible to gain a 40% reduction on premiums providing you don’t drive between 23.00 and 05.00 (which statistics say is when most new drivers crash)

www.quinn-direct.co.uk  is also another company that offer very competitive premiums.

Links to both companies can be found on our website www.kelvinwhitedrivingschool.co.uk

Remember also that some insurance companies offer a substantial discount if you take the pass plus course and by attending a local attitude and behaviour workshop you will get a grant of £60.00 towards the cost.

See http://www.kelvinwhitedrivingschool.co.uk/view/14 for full details .

70% of learner driver’s fail their first driving test.

Changes to ID requirements for driving tests.

DSA has been working closely with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) so we can accept UK Identity Cards issued by IPS as an alternative means by which candidates may confirm their identity for all types of driving tests and Driver CPC periodic training.

Candidates for driving tests and periodic training need to produce evidence of their entitlement to drive the relevant vehicle and prove their identity before the test or training can commence. Candidates may currently do this by way of a driving licence. Where the licence does not contain a photograph a valid passport is also required.

Candidates will still need to confirm their driving entitlement by producing their driving licence but, from 27 April, candidates who do not have a photocard licence will be able to use a valid UK ID Card issued by IPS as an alternative to their passport.

Any candidate who is unable to satisfy the examiner of their driving entitlement or identity will have their test cancelled and may lose their fee.

Londoners rated as the worst learner drivers

Learners located in London and South East England need more attempts at the driving test to pass compared to every other part of Britain, based on a new survey by the AA.

An overall total of 20,109 people responded to the survey, which revealed that Londoners sat the test on average 2.09 times, while those in the south east needed 2.11 tests, which is five percent worse compared to UK average.

Simon Douglas, the AA Driving School director, said: "Busy, complex roads in London and the South-east appear to contribute to learners there finding it slightly more challenging."

Drivers in the east of England returned the best result, taking just 1.9 attempts to pass. They were closely followed by the North East, Yorkshire & Humberside and the East Midlands.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is quoted as saying that those who have passed their test have had 45 hours of professional training and 22 hours of private practice - on average.

Douglas sums up the findings: "Many factors shape local pass rates. But, wherever you reside, professional tuition using a fully-qualified driving instructor will give you the best possible head start towards passing your L-test and beyond."

The full league table is below:

East of England 1.87

Yorkshire & Humberside 1.91

North-east of England 1.91

East Midlands 1.92

Scotland 1.97

South-west of England 1.97

West Midlands 1.98

Wales 2.02

North-west of England 2.03

Northern Ireland 2.03

London 2.09

South-east of England 2.11

Young Drivers Insurance Guide.

If you’ve recently passed your test and tried searching looking for insurance, you’ve probably already discovered how expensive insurance for inexperienced drivers can be.

Motor insurance for first time or young drivers can be expensive enough, but with reason. Moneysupermarket.com says: “There are several reasons why younger drivers pay more for their car insurance.

These include:

Drivers are statistically more likely to have an accident in the first two years after passing their test than at any other time. One in five drivers will have a crash in within their first year on the road.

A third of fatalities on UK roads are caused by young drivers aged 17 to 25.

Young drivers also experience more theft, fire and vandalism to their vehicles, which contributes to more claims on their car insurance.

Young drivers are more inclined to be ferrying around a vehicle} full of friends and for that reason face a much greater risk of being involved in an accident than somebody that just uses their car to nip out to the shops mid-afternoon.”

It may seem like the odds are stacked against you somewhat, but by following a few of the tips below, you can save a packet on your young drivers insurance.

Buy a Low Powered Car

Unfortunately, engine size is one is probably one of the biggest factors with regards to the price of your premium whatever your age, a car with a smaller engine will always be cheaper to insure than a big one. Search for cars in as low an insurance group as you possibly can in order to acquire the least expensive policy.

Take a Pass plus Course

This course is designed to teach recently passed drivers a few advanced driving techniques that could make them better and safer drivers. Many companies offer cheaper car insurance for first time drivers who have completed a pass plus course, up to 35% in some instances. There isn’t a test at the conclusion of the course and it takes only six hours to complete, so for those sorts of savings it’s a bargain!

Try a Multi-Car Policy

If you still live with your parents, it could be worth contacting their insurance providers – some companies offer heavy discounts on multiple cars within the same household, providing a budget car insurance many new drivers would like.

Policies with Restrictions

Some policies offer cheaper premiums at the expense of adding certain restrictions to them – not driving within certain hours of the night, for instance, or paying on a ‘per mile’ basis. Obviously, these might not be of use to everyone, but if you don't use your vehicle during the night time or only travel short distances, policies such as these can help you save significant amounts of money.

Consider Your Excess

The larger your excess, the cheaper your insurance is going to be – this is true of all policies, whether or not you are a new driver or not. However, you need to consider whether you are able to pay this should you have a crash– could you afford to pay a £600 excess after a nasty accident?

Take a look at a 'fully comprehensive policy' .

Keep it Stock

It’s another sad truth, but induction kits, spoilers, flared arches and the rest all add to your insurance premium – anything that adds value, performance or desirability to the vehicle will probably make that cheap car insurance quote more expensive, although different insurers treat modifications differently.

Add a Named Driver

Adding a mature and more experienced driver to your policy can decrease your premium quite substantially – this really is often one of the better options for cheap car insurance for new drivers. Don't let yourself be tempted to put yourself as a named driver on another person’s policy if you are the main user though; this is called ‘fronting’ and could result in the younger driver being convicted of fraud.

Obviously, it’s is best to check around – Moneysupermarket.com compare a massive amount of insurance firms, and can assist you to find the most effective possible deal for you quickly and easily.

Second-hand car warning: know your rights

Second-hand car warning: know your rights

Consumers are paying an average of £425 each to repair faults with second-hand cars which are the dealer's responsibility to correct. A study by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) also found that many dealers are using illegal disclaimers like 'No Refund'. Make sure you know your rights when purchasing a second-hand car.

Buying a car: your consumer rights

An OFT study has found that the £24 billion second-hand car dealer market can often be not working well for consumers.

The report found that the majority of used car faults come to light in the first three months after purchase, suggesting many second-hand cars sold will not be of satisfactory quality. In this situation it's the dealer's responsibility to fix the problem.

Regardless of this, nearly 30 {per cent| %} of buyers surveyed who contacted their dealer about a problem said they did not have problems resolved.

Consumers who had this issue spent an estimated £425 each, or £85 million each year in total, fixing unresolved faults which are the dealer's responsibility to correct.

The report also found that:

Many dealers are illegally falsifying a vehicle’s mileage (clocking) some dealers are pretending to be private sellers {in order to avoid their legal responsibilities to consumers

One in eleven car dealers use illegal disclaimers regarding the car's history and condition, such as for example that a car is 'sold as seen' or 'No Refund'

Many dealers neglect to disclose what mechanical and other pre-sale checks they've carried completed.

While the OFT believes that current laws are strong enough, more needs to be done to make sure consumers are better protected.

ADI's can act as interpreters

An ADI may act as interpreter on test with their own pupil, from 6 April 2010

From 6 April 2010, driving examiners will ask all customers at the start of their test if they would like someone to go with them on the test. This could be a parent, guardian or friend who has taught them to drive, but in most cases it will be their ADI.

Currently, an ADI is not permitted to act as an interpreter on test with their own customer. However, we believe having their ADI on test can enhance the customer's whole learning experience and continued development.  We feel as many customers as possible should be able to enjoy this benefit and that customers whose instructors speak and understand their language should not miss out on their opportunity of receiving valuable feedback.  We want customers to experience instructors and examiners working together as professional road safety experts.  This will help them to be safe and responsible drivers with the overall aim of improving road safety.

Therefore, from 6 April 2010 an ADI may act as interpreter on test with their own pupil.

Be aware if an interpreter, or anyone else, interferes with the conduct of the test, or is suspected of saying anything other than repeating the examiner's instructions, the test will be stopped. However, we are confident this will not be a problem as we are sure that ADIs will respond positively and professionally to this initiative.
Information about this change is in the February 2010 issue of Despatch.

Driving test to include case study

The driving theory test is to include a new element with the introduction of case studies on which candidates must answer questions.

Case studies on which candidates must answer questions are to be introduced to the driving theory test

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) said all car drivers and moped and motorcycle riders will have to answer one case study in the test, which will be introduced from September 28.

The case study will take the form of a short story or scenario upon which candidates will answer five questions. A touch screen or a mouse will be used, the same way in which the theory test is already conducted.

Jill Lewis, DSA director of driver education and learning said many candidates will be familiar with the case study format as they are "widely used in education to put learning into context".

She added that while candidates will initially answer one case study, "we plan to introduce more case studies into the theory test to assess candidates' understanding of what they have learned."

 

On losing those ‘L’ plates

The family of a Cranford teenager killed by a hit-and-run driver have expressed their disappointment after he was given just four years behind bars.

Vytautas Bartkevicius was more than three times over the alcohol limit when he knocked down Leighanne Charge as she tried to cross at traffic lights near her family home in Windsor Road on April 12.

The 19-year-old, who hoped to become a police community support officer like her older sister Victoria, died a week later in hospital.

Bartkevicius, a 20-year-old warehouse packer, of Martindale Road, Hounslow, admitted causing death by careless driving while under the influence, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.

However, sentencing him at Isleworth Crown Court today, judge Hezlett Colgan said the jail term should reflect the fact he was a young man who had shown remorse and whose judgement had been affected after hearing that night how his ex-girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage with his child.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Victoria Charge's fiance Matthew Pond said they were 'very disappointed' with the 'lenient' sentence.

"As far as we're concerned, he's responsible for her death and what happened in his own life shouldn't have any bearing on that," he added.

Driver jailed for killing fiance

Mr Phillips had been drinking with Ms Broad for many hours before his death A woman who ran over and killed her fiance after a day drinking has been jailed for three years for causing death by dangerous driving. Caroline Broad, 41, of Padfield Terrace, Twerton, Bath, drove into Christopher Phillips, 40, outside the city's Full Moon pub in August 2008. Bristol Crown Court heard that Broad was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit. Broad was also disqualified from driving for five years. She was ordered to retake her driving test before being allowed behind the wheel again. Mr Phillips died from multiple injuries. The couple had lived together for eight years and ran a tiling company together.

Driver jailed for killing fiance

Mr Phillips had been drinking with Ms Broad for many hours before his death A woman who ran over and killed her fiance after a day drinking has been jailed for three years for causing death by dangerous driving. Caroline Broad, 41, of Padfield Terrace, Twerton, Bath, drove into Christopher Phillips, 40, outside the city's Full Moon pub in August 2008. Bristol Crown Court heard that Broad was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit. Broad was also disqualified from driving for five years. She was ordered to retake her driving test before being allowed behind the wheel again. Mr Phillips died from multiple injuries. The couple had lived together for eight years and ran a tiling company together.

A woman who ran over and killed her fiance after a day drinking has been jailed for three years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Caroline Broad, 41, of Padfield Terrace, Twerton, Bath, drove into Christopher Phillips, 40, outside the city's Full Moon pub in August 2008.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Broad was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit.

Broad was also disqualified from driving for five years.

She was ordered to retake her driving test before being allowed behind the wheel again.

Mr Phillips died from multiple injuries.

The couple had lived together for eight years and ran a tiling company together.

Research has found a majority of drivers involved in road accidents crash within five miles of their home.

A poll by insurance company elephant.co.uk found two in three collisions happen within five miles, but nearly a third of crashes happen less than a mile from home.

The survey of 3,800 people also indicated that hitting parked cars was the number one cause of accidents within a mile of a driver's home, followed by crashing while coming off a minor road, reversing into a vehicle and hitting a wall.

Only 5% of accidents occurred 26 to 50 miles from home, and 6% at distances of more than 50 miles away.

Elephant.co.uk managing director Brian Martin said: "It is so important to keep a full level of concentration when driving, whether you're just popping to the shops or starting or ending a longer journey. These results emphasise this even more."

"It is vital people stay alert and avoid complacency when driving close to home."

The question has been raised regarding pupils using hazard warning lights when being asked to check the indicators. I checked this with DSA technical Standards who replied:

"It is perfectly acceptable for the hazard warning lights to be used for the indicator check when carrying out the vehicle safety checks on a driving test."

Rolling out across Great Britain the new pre-driver qualification in safe road use and introducing a partial credit for the theory test for car drivers who gain the new qualification

Introducing case studies into the theory test for car drivers and moped/motorcycle riders within the next refresh of the question bank

Introducing into all practical tests an assessment of competence whilst the candidate is driving independently

Making it mandatory for the person presenting the candidate for test to sit in the car for the duration and debrief

Consultation on proposals to modernise driver training, which will support effective delivery of the Learning to Drive programme

Introducing a new and improved Pass Plus scheme by 2011

Record breaking bookings for driving lessons.
January has been the busiest month ever for the driving school with an increase in new customers of a whopping 114% on the same period last year and we now teach 0ver 300 pupils a week!
We are firmly on course to become the premier driving school throughout Somerset. We find that the general public are preferring to use local driving schools in preference to the national companies. This has been very evident this week with the demise of the country’s largest driving school BSM (British school of motoring).
We find that we are expanding when most others around us are struggling to survive in the current economic downturn. We believe there are several factors for this:
• Excellent customer service
• The best value for money deals in the county ( Our “try us and see” deals have been hugely successful)
• The best trained instructors in the county (very few driving instructors ever take continued training)
• Full time staff to take your calls at our local call centre 08.30 – 20.30
• The very latest tuition vehicles that are easy to drive
• Customer referrals ( for each new pupil that joins us, we find that we are already teaching 4-5 of their friends)
Hi Kelvin,
“I found the booking system very easy and am very happy with the introductory bulk prices that I chose to use! I chose the company as I heard it was reputable and very reliable off of other people using the company. The first lesson was a lot easier than I expected as the instructor made me feel very relaxed, comfortable and therefore it was less nerve racking and I was guided through the experience”.

Kim Dibble, Bridgwater.

Customer benefits.

• You can “Try us and see” at very low cost to see what we can offer.
• Benefit from a very successful structured learning program to gain your full licence sooner and at less cost.
• Be assured that your personal driving instructor will be continually trained to the highest standards and offer you the most efficient training methods.(lack of progress is often down to the instructor, not you the pupil)
• Benefit from a proven success record with an average 1st time pass rate of 80% (local 1st pass rate is only 30%)

Oscar West
“My learning experience with Kelvin White driving school was nothing short of exceptional.
The instructors are highly competent and capable teachers who offer great support and instruction throughout the learning experience, which I believe greatly contributed to my first attempt driving test success.
I’d like to offer my thanks to Kelvin White driving school and to my personal driving instructor Fred hemming’s”.
If you would like to join the fastest growing driving school in your local area and gain your full licence sooner, follow the other 500 customers that joined us during last year.
Kelvin White.
 

Use of mirrors.
There has always been a misconception as to why mirror use is so important.
“My dad said; make sure that you move your head so the examiners can you check them”.
“I check my mirrors because my instructor said that I had to”.
“If I don’t check my mirrors I will fail my driving test”.
Let’s look at the real reason you should check your mirrors.
Use of mirrors before signalling:
Before you apply as signal, it is vital that you know what is happening around you.
What if a motorbike is overtaking and you suddenly apply a signal, he could panic if he thinks you haven’t seen him resulting in a sudden change of direction. By noticing the motorbike in the mirrors, you would have the option to delay the signal and let him pass. Even better would be to notice the motorbike gaining on you with early mirror use and you could then apply the signal at an earlier stage to warn of your intentions.
Use of mirrors before changing direction:
Use of mirrors before changing direction is vital to check what is happening beside you. Think of a situation where you are slowing to turn left and a cycle comes off the pavement or when moving out to pass a parked vehicle and a vehicle is overtaking.
Use of mirrors before slowing down:
Imagine approaching a pedestrian crossing where people are stood waiting to cross, the lights could change at any time and a mirror check shows a vehicle very close behind. You could use the information gained to slow in anticipation of a light change, this will also encourage the following vehicle to slow also. Failure to gain this information could result in having to stop suddenly resulting in the following vehicle being unable to stop and possibly crashing in to the back of you.
Use of mirrors before speeding up.
Think of a situation where you have just emerged in to a new road (minor to major) and once straightened up and checked ahead, the next important issue is what is happening behind. Perhaps you may have misjudged the speed of following traffic and they are approaching faster than you thought. You have the option to accelerate up to the limit (if safe) to get a move on or in a scenario where they have already committed to an overtake, you could then choose to slow and enable them to pass safely. Without the information from the mirrors you would be unaware and as a result be involved in a possible crash.