How to adjust your car mirrors to avoid blind spots
 

Earlier today another driver almost got hit cutting into my lane. This was in West Sacramento, CA, where Westbound US Hwy 50 ends by blending into I-80. (From the perspective of someone on US Hwy 50, which stays more or less straight, the I-80 drivers are merging into our lanes.) When I got behind his sea-green Prius with Illinois license plates and saw that I could see his reflection in both of his side-view mirrors, it made me think there might be some folks on the Planet that could benefit from information on how to properly adjust their car mirrors to avoid blind spots. ;)

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...d-blind-spots/

P.S. On the opposite side of the highway, where eastbound US Hwy 50 begins, is a sign that includes the amusing information that Ocean City MD is 3,073 miles away. ;) https://www.capradio.org/articles/20...-md-3073-sign/

Started adjusting my mirrors in this fashion about ten years ago. Takes a minute to get used to. But no more blindspots.

Yep, exactly! I only started using this approach about 10 years ago myself, and it was a little weird at first, but it's easy to get used to and so much better. It also makes you notice how badly positioned other drivers' mirrors are. It's ridiculous to be right behind a driver and be able to see their face reflected in all three of their mirrors.

Exactly. Once you think about it a little, it makes perfect sense, and how people traditionally adjusted their mirrors is pretty stupid. no reason to be able to see the side of your car, much more reasonable to be able to see the car next to you. Also means a lot less turning my neck to find cars in the blindspots.

I’m the most important person on the road and people should adjust to me /BWillie

This is a good educational information to keep from being blind sided by a methed out deer on the interstate.

Most new cars have blind spot indicators. Step yer game up.

Defensive driving is for suckerz. Offensive driving is the way to go. Continually pass every car ahead of you while never letting anyone catch up to you.

My car, a 2018 Honda Accord, has them, but those indicators don’t provide as much useful information as properly adjusted mirrors can. For example, the mirrors help make it easier to verify that an adjacent line is clear of rapidly approaching cars from other lanes. Blind spot systems mainly give information on cars already abreast or nearly abreast of you.

I thought this was common sense. Funny the C&D article is dated as of 2010. Every time I get into another car, I adjust the mirrors.

I've had no problem with blind spots. I just, you know, turn my head and look.

I do love to go 5 over in the left lane indefinitely though. The best thing ever.

I've been doing this since the 90's.

It was odd at first but it really makes complete sense.

The key is adjusting it on the highway as you let cars pass you. Watching them in the rear view mirror slowly disappear and then finally starting to appear in the side mirrors. The trick is to have just a little overlap between the rearview and sideview mirror.

I remember showing this to an ex-girlfriend after I had to adjust her sideview mirrors when she wanted me to drive her car on a trip. She was shocked and thought I had discovered Noah's Ark. ROFL

In high school driving school, they taught us wrong.

You do know there is a reason its called a blind spot. Oh, forget it I forgot who I was talking to.

Hopefully this isn't true. If true, no comment is needed.

Its a blind spot because most people are too lazy to turn around and look. And they just rely on using their mirrors. I suppose if you have a massive truck or semi you'll have a true blind spot but not most cars...if you just move and look.

Blind spot mirrors are $10 at any auto parts store. Problem solved. My Trans Am has horrible blind spots due to those massive sail panels and shallow rear deck. I put blind spot mirrors on it, godsend. And I still turn my head because.

Hmm. I've adjusted my mirrors like this for some time when I thought, "Why do I need to see the side of my own car?"

My question is, do people still look over their shoulder too? I still do it 90% of the time, unless I am all alone on the highway at night for example.

Already starting to forget who you are talking to. Poor geriatric ****.

You know you're not driving a fighter jet with a clear pulldown canopy. You are in an auto most likely a hardtop with windows and doors and beams to that stiffen and strengthen the roof to chassis. That creates a blind spot between doors and windows that a peer back and side no matter what you do blocks a good portion of your side and peripheral view. If you could see through it you wouldn't need side view mirrors and they wouldn't be required on autos.

Of course I knew you knew this:shake:

You cant see 100% with the stock mirrors or by turning your head. But by doing both you effectively remove...the blind spot. Not rocket science.

When I used to do insurance claims it boggled my mind how many ppl just dont look. They will just look at mirrors when backing up in a busy parking lot. They'll be like I looked in all my mirrors and there was nobody there! Well did you turn around and look...you know...around. Well no why would I do that!

I use my blind spot monitors in conjunction with turning my head an looking into the lane. Old habits die hard and this is one I'm glad I've kept.

I started doing this several years ago. I learned it in a defensive driving class.

Yeah, even though the article suggests you won't need to, I would recommend you still always check your blind spots before changing lanes.

Back in the day, whenever I got a new vehicle the first thing I would do is add the round spot mirrors. My current car came equipped with something similar so it wasn't necessary.

I would also add that drivers in the Sacramento area are nastiest ****ers on earth. Everybody drove like a speed freak lunatic on crack.

My newest ride came with the blindspot mirrors built into the mirrors. I love it and honestly wonder how I survived so long without them.

OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR

WTF is a "new car"?

My wife has one

It's sumthin those dang ol rich folk drive...like one o dem dere '96 Tauruses

Well yeah. Hence the bit about "turning my neck a lot less." As opposed to not at all.

Oh I get it. So I check over my shoulder, I just don't have to turn my head as far back, or turn it as many degrees. The mirrors give me enough information that I only have to check the area immediately abreast, not all the way back to the rear quarter panel area, if that makes sense. I'm talking about basically the number of degrees I have to turn my head, not the frequency or number of times of turning my head.

When I got my new vehicle it had the extended mirrors as part of the tow package or whatever. And it is very nice to be able to see across all lanes of traffic. I still look over my shoulder out of habit but really don’t need to. My last car was a sedan and I had to adjust per the video like a year ago and it makes a yuuuge difference in eliminating the blind spots.

Over the past 40 years I've owned 11 different vehicles. Four were new, the rest at least a year used.

No intention of ever buying another new one.

Exactly, the drivers here are horrendous. That's why even if you're moving into a lane on your right, it's not enough to verify that the lane has an opening, you have to check for lunatics coming up on you from far behind, fully intending to pass you while going 25+ miles per hours over the speed limit.

Technically, Bakersfield beat Sacramento for worst driver in the study reported on the news (https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/n...-second-worst/), but that study includes number of tickets when ranking cities, and I sure don't see cops out on these crazy roads writing tickets, so I know our 2nd place finish doesn't capture our true performance.

Drivers everywhere are horrendous. The main culprit is that nobody cares anymore about anybody but themselves. And on the main thoroughfares there's almost zero law enforcement effort. People going 90 in a 70 are just ignored so now everybody drives like that. I usually drive 5 over and I'm routinely the slowest driver on the road. People pass on the shoulder and all kinds of stupid shit just so they can get where they are going 2 minutes earlier.

I have auto insurance so I don't care about blind spots.

A few years ago I cut someone off on accident when they didn't show up in my side mirrors. Ever since then I have angled them outwards to cover the blind spots. Feels weird at first but it's much safer that way.

I used to think that way until my car died in 2021 and I had to buy another one. The used car market is so insane that used cars are selling for around the same price as a new one. At that point, why not buy new?

I think the market's come down somewhat since then but used cars are crazy expensive right now.

This was me 1.5 years ago. New car was almost the same price as a slightly used car but I could get 0% financing on a 3 year dealer loan for the new car. No brainer to go new and it was a nice surprise.

I haven't bought a used car in ages. At the end of the day, the total ROI of a new car is just higher than used because used prices are just plain too high.

Electric mirrors are better but if you don’t see the side of your car you don’t know that your mirror hasn’t been bumped and is now pointing out in space and not showing your blind spot.

I like to be able to see the side of the car if I lean a bit.

And then have a mirror that still covers the blind spot either because it has a blind spot mirror on it or it is a curved mirror.

My current car has a camera on the side view mirror that shows up on dashboard console. It does a great job of showing the blind spot and is also great at night for showing things like bicycles approaching. I don’t know why every car doesn’t have this.

People in your mirror are dummer than they appear.

People in your mirror lives next to you?

I've always opened my eyes in blind spots. Found out I wasn't blind!

Blind spots are an eye-opening experience.

My only (and there won't be another) experience with Sacramento came on the drive from Yosemite to Reno. After being stuck behind poke ass morons on winding two lane roads for a week, I decided I would be happier getting to an interstate as quickly as possible, so I headed west to I-5 an took that to I-80 east for what I assumed would be a less annoying drive. WRONG. I-5 was a nightmare. Heavy, shitty traffic, and everybody drove like they were getting paid to **** with me. Empty spot in front of a vehicle which is maintaining a constant speed, but the second I turn on my blinker to shift lanes the driver instantly speeds up to cut me off. That happened repeatedly. It wasn't that they were overly aggressive; they were just dicks. I was also introduced to the motorcycles allowed to drive on the shoulder thing, apparently at unlimited speeds. The first one must have been doing about 100 when he blasted past me while I was at a standstill in heavy traffic. I'm not going to lie, it scared the shit out of me. Of course I've seen people on motorcycles do crazy/stupid things before, but not that.

Once we got on eastbound 80 outside of Sacramento things became normal again. But that was one of the worst driving experiences I've ever had. Definitely should have went back through Lee Vining on 395.

Lol, that's definitely CA driving for you. Especially the bit about learning not to use your turn signals to indicate a lane change. Stupid SoCal idiots immediately try to speed up and cut you off, every time. And if you have the temerity to speed up and make the lane change, it's flying birds and screaming at you for the next five minutes while they try to get ahead of you so they can cut you off again.

And the people on bikes are crazy. Saw one slam into the back of a Ford Aerostar doing about 90. The van was doing about 25. Biker was flying down the dotted line, and about four or five cars ahead the van just pulled into the next line right as the biker flew by me. Never had a chance.

When the first lunatic biker passed me I was smoking, and had my arm out the window. The guy missed my elbow by a few inches. Had he actually hit it at that speed my severed forearm would have probably landed in Oregon.

Living and driving in CA for 8-9 years made me hyper-aware of bikers. Saw far too many bike wrecks and broken/lifeless bodies living there.

Worst one I saw was in Norfolk back in the 80s, a couple of blocks from my apartment in Oceanview. Didn't see the wreck itself, but somehow the biker went airborne and hit the bottom of a stoplight, killing him instantly. His head stuck in the bottom light (those things are much bigger than people realize) and his body just dangled there until they got it down. Very ****ed up. I saw it from a distance and had no desire to inspect it closer.

Some things you can just never unsee.

Been doing this for years