Why is it crucial to check your blind spots?

Checking your blind spots is crucial because these areas are not visible in your standard mirrors, and they can conceal vehicles or obstacles that are nearby but out of your direct line of sight. This practice is essential for ensuring road safety when changing lanes or merging, as failing to check blind spots can lead to collisions with vehicles that you didn’t see approaching or occupying those spaces.

The other options, while important aspects of safe driving, do not specifically address the purpose of blind spot checks. Maintaining a safe following distance is about ensuring you have enough space between yourself and the vehicle ahead. Activating your turn signal correctly is part of signaling your intentions to other drivers, which is important for safe lane changes but doesn’t directly involve blind spot awareness. Finally, while improving fuel efficiency is beneficial for driving overall, it isn't connected to the necessity of checking blind spots.