The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published a paper in 1995 suggesting how outside mirrors could be adjusted to eliminate blind spots. This article expands on that paper.
I switched a few months ago. It took a while to get used to it, but I feel like I have a better picture of what’s happening around me.
Have you tried this? Did you switch back?
I’ve been doing this since I started driving.
Car is half gone in the rear view mirror, it’s half in the side mirror.
Car is half gone in the side mirror, it’s half in my peripheral vision.
My brother HATES it, always adjusts my mirrors. I set them back and constantly test them to make sure.
As a side note, I still always check my blind spots because motorcycles can still hide and, well, it’s just common sense to double check.
Good point on motorcycles. I still look over my shoulder for lane changes, probably out of habit now.
I split the difference. I adjust the side mirrors so that I cannot see the sides of my car from my normal driving position. If I move my head at all, such as the prerequisite shoulder check when changing lanes, the side of my car is visible.
I have been driving like this for more than a decade and have had no issues with backing my car up or seeing behind me. There are still blind spots, unfortunately, but they’re smaller.
ITT: a whole bunch of people more worried about scratching or bumping their car in a parking lot than possibly killing themselves or others on a highway with an unsafe lane change.
Adjust your mirrors so cars approaching from behind in the lane to either side start entering your side mirrors as they start leaving your rearview mirror. There should be a point where you can see one half of a car in the side mirror and the other half in the center mirror at the same time. You should not be able to see your own car. You might not be able to dial this in while parked and might have to adjust on the road, but it’s absolutely worth it.
If you need to see the lines while parking and your mirrors don’t auto-move in reverse, explore methods that don’t rely on mirrors. I used to park on a long, squiggly driveway. I’d crack the driver door open to see where the edge was while I was reversing, and I could follow it precisely at speed. If your car allows you to crack the door open without shifting into park, give that a shot (you’re wearing your seatbelt, right? Don’t fall out and run yourself over.). Otherwise you could try rolling down a window and peeking out that way.
- Look before a lane change. Just…turn your head and look. It’s not hard.
- Not all cars have great rear visibility. I drive sports cars whose center rear view mirrors have poor visibility. Just look.
- A lot of cars have blind spot monitors that buzz or beep when you try to merge into a car next to you.
- Scratching and bumping cars in parking lots is a big deal even if it’s not fatal.
- Just look, man. Look out the windows.
lol.
idgaf how anyone has their mirror adjusted, turn your head and look with your eyes before changing lanes, full stop.
If you’re in a vehicle that blocks those direct site lines, then you should have multiple side mirrors with blind spot coverage already.
Do people really learn to drive and not know how to correctly position their side mirrors? wtf? How?
Yes. Me. I was taught that the mirrors were supposed to be aligned with the sides of the car. You’re supposed to look over your shoulder to change lanes and not rely on the mirrors.
This article won’t win over any converts with that snark at the end of it.
“Have fun filling out those accident reports”
What a stupid thing to write. I’ve been driving for 20+ years and I’ve never been in an accident. So why write that stupidity of a sentence?
It’s like saying to a 30+ year old reader: “Here’s a better way to tie your shoes. Oh, you won’t do that? Have fun falling down and breaking your nose every year!”
I lived with this arrangement for one day and immediately reverted to the traditional views, because of how incredibly dangerous it made street driving. It also made it very difficult to reverse because you can’t see the area around your rear wheels.
Should never be a replacement for turning your head.
If you can’t turn your head and you can’t afford a BMW, please talk to your physio.
Similarly, adding gadgets to cars is not a substitute for a car with well designed visibility. I’ve driven so many (rental and test drives) cars where I can’t see out well. Many of the manufacturers will just throw in electronics as the answer.
Fun fact, many of the external sensors don’t work well in winter driving conditions, especially freezing drizzle.
They demonstrated these mirror settings in a driving class I had through work called:
“In Control: Crash Prevention”.
That was a fun class. You get to drive their car and practice hard stops, quick lane changes, etc.
I had my teenage son take the class. AFAIK, most car insurance companies offer a small discount if you take the class.
I took a similar class almost 20 years ago, and it unquestionably kept me from at least 2 serious accidents, and potentially saved my life. I cannot recommend them enough to new drivers, it’s absolutely the most dangerous part of our daily lives.
And yeah, these mirror settings are the absolute best way to drive. It takes some getting used to, but there are absolutely no downsides to having a wider field of vision.
Glad the course was helpful.
If you liked that class, you’d love autocross. In the us there’s SCCA (sports car club of America) that put on “solo” events. What’s more commonly known as autocross.
Ty. I’ll take a peak.
I’ve tried it before but have found that it’s not my preference. I think it’s because occasionally, I’ll use my side mirrors to make sure I’m between lines when reverse parking, throwing off how everything was specially adjusted.
Instead, and for whatever reason, I’ve learned that I’m pretty fond of the small blind spot mirrors that fit into the corners of a vehicle’s side mirrors.
When adjusted the way the article has stated, moving your head slightly to see the lines is trivial.
Plus, being parked slightly off-center or dinging a car in a parking lot is nowhere near as bad as causing a potentially deadly crash by merging into another car at high-speed.
I’m having difficulty backing into parking spots with the mirrors set this way, too. I don’t do it too often, and I was hoping someone here had a solution.
See my comment above.
I’ve drive like this and it’s amazing, but I generally change my mirrors based on the smallest vehicle I’m expecting to see. So in Asia, I would adjust for mopeds. In cities, I would adjust for bicycles.
I have my mirrors like that since erhw day I started driving because I thought it was the best way to position them
I don’t have problems with blind spots, so I don’t have much incentive to change anything.
But I need to be able to see my own car (or at least very close to it) while reversing, and my car doesn’t adjust the mirrors when going into reverse. Which means I have a big incentive to not use their idea.
So no, I am not planning on trying it.
When adjusted like this, you can still easily see the side of your own car by moving your head slightly, which is trivial when backing up.
I learned about this in a driving class almost 20 years ago and never looked back (pun fully intended).
😆
Okay, I think I’ll try it.
