Alberta Motor Association (AMA) Learner’s Practice Exam 2025 - Free Learner's Practice Questions and Study Guide

When changing lanes, the first action you should take is to ensure you’re allowed to change lanes. This involves understanding the traffic rules and regulations that apply to your situation, including checking for any signs indicating lane restrictions and confirming that you're in a safe position to change lanes based on the surrounding traffic.

This step is crucial because it sets the foundation for a safe lane change. It's necessary to verify that there are no prohibiting factors, such as a solid line or a vehicle in your intended lane, that could lead to unsafe conditions. By ensuring you’re permitted to change lanes before any other actions, you can proceed confidently and make informed decisions.

While checking over your shoulder for cyclists, turning on your signal light, and monitoring your rearview mirror are all important steps in the lane-changing process, they follow after confirming that it is safe and legal to change lanes. Each of those actions contributes to situational awareness and communication with other road users, but they are predicated on the understanding that you are allowed to change lanes in the first place.