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I'm German and passed my driving test in Germany 20 years ago. The shoulder check before the left (on the continent: right) turn is one thing the driving instructors are really mental about until it really becomes ingrained. You instantly fail your driving test if you forget to do it.
I got my driving license in France 5 or 6 years ago, and it's the same drill: no over-the-shoulder check + mirror check before turning or changing lane is an instant fail. It becomes second nature quite quickly, fortunately.
Acutally, checking your mirrors before turning left isn't good enough. Passenger cars do have blind spots as well. The only way of making sure there isn't any cyclist on your inside is a shoulder check.
I'm German and passed my driving test in Germany 20 years ago. The shoulder check before the left (on the continent: right) turn is one thing the driving instructors are really mental about until it really becomes ingrained. You instantly fail your driving test if you forget to do it.
I rarely drive in London, but yes, I think I do the shoulder check before I turn.
A related problem is that turning cars in the UK do not stop for pedestrians who are crossing the street. That's absolutely common in Germany (and, I think, other parts of contintental Europe). Since drivers do not have to stop here, they can turn at significantly higher speed (which also induces many to cut corners, which annoys me as a cyclist time and again.)
At the core of the whole issue is the lack of strict liability for motorists in the UK, I think. The knowlegde that you as the operator of a potentially deadly machine are liable for any damages you cause EVEN WITHOUT DOING SOMETHING WRONG INTENTIONALLY is a big incentive to drive more carefully, I think. Realistically, however, campaigning for strict liability in the UK is probably a lost cause.