What is the first step to take when preparing to pass another vehicle?

The first step to take when preparing to pass another vehicle is to signal left and check for safety. Signaling is crucial as it communicates your intent to others on the road, specifically informing drivers around you that you plan to change lanes and pass. This helps ensure that other drivers can adjust their actions accordingly, contributing to overall road safety.

Checking for safety involves ensuring that the lane you intend to move into is clear of obstacles and that there are no vehicles approaching in that lane at high speed. This step is vital to avoid collisions and ensures that you can safely perform the maneuver. It emphasizes the importance of awareness of your surroundings, which is a key aspect of safe driving.

While signaling right and checking mirrors is part of safe driving, it is not specifically relevant to the act of passing, as passing typically involves moving to the left lane. Speeding up and moving into the left lane without signaling, as well as omitting the safety check, undermines safe driving practices and could lead to dangerous situations on the road.