Rant: vehicle mirror positioning

[wart57]

I still turn my head to look, just in case.

[TimeForGuinness]

Should never rely on just your mirrors...no matter how perfect you think you have them. Always glance over your shoulder.

[StL Dan]

Ye of little faith. smh

[lukethedrifter]

For me, it's just a matter of feeling more "comfortable" when I can see the side of my car in the mirror. It helps me gauge orientation of everything else around me. The blind spot is really a fairly small area anyway.......... I think you're normally going to be able to scope out that area, even with the mirror showing the side of your car.

You may feel safer but you and the vehicle in your blind spot are not safer.

[Socnorb11]

For me, it's just a matter of feeling more "comfortable" when I can see the side of my car in the mirror. It helps me gauge orientation of everything else around me. The blind spot is really a fairly small area anyway.......... I think you're normally going to be able to scope out that area, even with the mirror showing the side of your car.

You may feel safer but you and the vehicle in your blind spot are not safer.

I actually experimented with this last night. I left my mirror where I usually keep it (so I can see the side of my car). By leaning just slightly to my right, my car disappeared, and the "blind spot" was in view. So now I've got the "comfort" of being able to see my car, plus the ability to manage the blind spot by simply leaning slightly to the right and looking in the mirror.

[tlombard]

But if you can't see the side of your car, how do you know how much more damage you can take to each side when you get road rage and start side swiping people?

[lukethedrifter]

For me, it's just a matter of feeling more "comfortable" when I can see the side of my car in the mirror. It helps me gauge orientation of everything else around me. The blind spot is really a fairly small area anyway.......... I think you're normally going to be able to scope out that area, even with the mirror showing the side of your car.

You may feel safer but you and the vehicle in your blind spot are not safer.

I actually experimented with this last night. I left my mirror where I usually keep it (so I can see the side of my car). By leaning just slightly to my right, my car disappeared, and the "blind spot" was in view. So now I've got the "comfort" of being able to see my car, plus the ability to manage the blind spot by simply leaning slightly to the right and looking in the mirror.

It's very unlikely you are seeing all the way back into the entirety of your blind spot by doing that. TFG said earlier that you still need to turn your head. You sure do because your mirror positioning covers the area behind what you see when you turn your head.


Case study: I responded to a car crash around 5pm just off I44 a couple of years back. Driver was DOA after rolling his car over several times. Witness behind him said he tried to change lanes not seeing the other vehicle then overcorrected when at the very last he saw it.

[StL Dan]

For me, it's just a matter of feeling more "comfortable" when I can see the side of my car in the mirror. It helps me gauge orientation of everything else around me. The blind spot is really a fairly small area anyway.......... I think you're normally going to be able to scope out that area, even with the mirror showing the side of your car.

You may feel safer but you and the vehicle in your blind spot are not safer.

I actually experimented with this last night. I left my mirror where I usually keep it (so I can see the side of my car). By leaning just slightly to my right, my car disappeared, and the "blind spot" was in view. So now I've got the "comfort" of being able to see my car, plus the ability to manage the blind spot by simply leaning slightly to the right and looking in the mirror.

It's very unlikely you are seeing all the way back into the entirety of your blind spot by doing that. TFG said earlier that you still need to turn your head. You sure do because your mirror positioning covers the area behind what you see when you turn your head.


Case study: I responded to a car crash around 5pm just off I44 a couple of years back. Driver was DOA after rolling his car over several times. Witness behind him said he tried to change lanes not seeing the other vehicle then overcorrected when at the very last he saw it.

That's because he didn't have his mirrors set to cover his blind spot.

[Fat Strat]

Interesting. I was definitely taught in Driver's Ed to position the mirror so you could just barely see the side of your car. Will have to try this.

I always turn my head and look before I change lanes or turn, though. Usually twice.

[Arthur Dent]

For me, it's just a matter of feeling more "comfortable" when I can see the side of my car in the mirror. It helps me gauge orientation of everything else around me. The blind spot is really a fairly small area anyway.......... I think you're normally going to be able to scope out that area, even with the mirror showing the side of your car.

You may feel safer but you and the vehicle in your blind spot are not safer.

I actually experimented with this last night. I left my mirror where I usually keep it (so I can see the side of my car). By leaning just slightly to my right, my car disappeared, and the "blind spot" was in view. So now I've got the "comfort" of being able to see my car, plus the ability to manage the blind spot by simply leaning slightly to the right and looking in the mirror.

It's very unlikely you are seeing all the way back into the entirety of your blind spot by doing that. TFG said earlier that you still need to turn your head. You sure do because your mirror positioning covers the area behind what you see when you turn your head.


Case study: I responded to a car crash around 5pm just off I44 a couple of years back. Driver was DOA after rolling his car over several times. Witness behind him said he tried to change lanes not seeing the other vehicle then overcorrected when at the very last he saw it.

I agree with luke. The blind spot is actually quite large -- you definitely are not seeing it all by leaning a bit. In fact, playing with this new side mirror position on my car, there is still a bit of a blind spot that you might be able to fit a motorcycle in up close and forward, so I'm not comfortable abandoning the head check entirely. That said, pointing the side mirrors farther out does seem to help a lot, especially if there are pillars or other things in your car impeding the view of a good head check.