5 ms·

I used to do shoulder checks often but stoped to do so unless absolutely necessary because the practice also causes you to lose awarenes of what is in front of

by dfox 8y ago

I used to do shoulder checks often but stoped to do so unless absolutely necessary because the practice also causes you to lose awarenes of what is in front of you and more importantly you can lose awareness of the direction of your movement.

Kim_Bruning 8y ago
Do try to stay in practice a little bit, on the off chance you ever want to drive on Dutch or German [1] highways. Forgetting to check your right hand mirror and shoulder will get you hit by a truck; forgetting the left hand will get you hit by an Audi or BMW (or volvo ;-) ). Both are painful! [1] German highway is called "Autobahn", and has some interesting traffic rules.
- blattimwind 8y ago
  > [1] German highway is called "Autobahn", and has some interesting traffic rules. Interesting? I don't think so. Very few and well reasoned rules apply to Autobahn: No turning around. No stopping. There are no crossings of any kind. As on all highways with more than one lane, a Rettungsgasse (emergency way) must be created as soon as traffic congests. > Forgetting to check your right hand mirror and shoulder will Incidentally, it seems mirrors are thought very differently in the US. It seems in the US a "blind spot free" arrangement is preferred, meanwhile in Germany the normal arrangement is preferred. Fun fact: The English Wikipedia has this image ( https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Blindspot_three_cars_illus.svg/528px-Blindspot_three_cars_illus.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Bl... 9 ) as an example of incorrectly adjusted mirrors. The German Wikipedia uses the exact same image as an example of correctly adjusted mirrors.
  - Kim_Bruning 8y ago
    Autobahn rules are interesting specifically because they're few and well reasoned.
  - dmckeon 8y ago
    Mirror usage in the US was that of the image you reference, and only recently has started to shift. Here is a comparison of the newer (in the US) and older versions: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir... The choice is not really between "blind spots" and "no blind spots" but between "one big blind spot on each side" and "two smaller blind spots on each side". YMMV, depending on whether you often drive on multi-lane roads and highways. Whether a majority of US states adopt one standard or the other is an open question. IMHO, getting USA drivers to increase their roadway situational awareness, whether by adjusting mirrors, reducing distractions, or other means feels like a cause that was lost when cars got radios and air conditioning, and drivers rolled up their windows.
    - pferde 8y ago
      > Here is a comparison of the newer (in the US) and older versions: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir.. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir.... "Sorry, this content is not available in your region." Wow, I didn't know HTTP allowed you to request content from two decades ago.
  - stephengillie 8y ago
    American, I was taught the normal arrangement, but I've adopted the blind-spot free after nearly hitting more than a few drivers who were in my blind spot.

by dfox 8y ago

Kim_Bruning 8y ago

Do try to stay in practice a little bit, on the off chance you ever want to drive on Dutch or German [1] highways. Forgetting to check your right hand mirror and shoulder will get you hit by a truck; forgetting the left hand will get you hit by an Audi or BMW (or volvo ;-) ). Both are painful! [1] German highway is called "Autobahn", and has some interesting traffic rules.

blattimwind 8y ago
> [1] German highway is called "Autobahn", and has some interesting traffic rules. Interesting? I don't think so. Very few and well reasoned rules apply to Autobahn: No turning around. No stopping. There are no crossings of any kind. As on all highways with more than one lane, a Rettungsgasse (emergency way) must be created as soon as traffic congests. > Forgetting to check your right hand mirror and shoulder will Incidentally, it seems mirrors are thought very differently in the US. It seems in the US a "blind spot free" arrangement is preferred, meanwhile in Germany the normal arrangement is preferred. Fun fact: The English Wikipedia has this image ( https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Blindspot_three_cars_illus.svg/528px-Blindspot_three_cars_illus.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Bl... 9 ) as an example of incorrectly adjusted mirrors. The German Wikipedia uses the exact same image as an example of correctly adjusted mirrors.
- Kim_Bruning 8y ago
  Autobahn rules are interesting specifically because they're few and well reasoned.
- dmckeon 8y ago
  Mirror usage in the US was that of the image you reference, and only recently has started to shift. Here is a comparison of the newer (in the US) and older versions: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir... The choice is not really between "blind spots" and "no blind spots" but between "one big blind spot on each side" and "two smaller blind spots on each side". YMMV, depending on whether you often drive on multi-lane roads and highways. Whether a majority of US states adopt one standard or the other is an open question. IMHO, getting USA drivers to increase their roadway situational awareness, whether by adjusting mirrors, reducing distractions, or other means feels like a cause that was lost when cars got radios and air conditioning, and drivers rolled up their windows.
  - pferde 8y ago
    > Here is a comparison of the newer (in the US) and older versions: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir.. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mir.... "Sorry, this content is not available in your region." Wow, I didn't know HTTP allowed you to request content from two decades ago.
- stephengillie 8y ago
  American, I was taught the normal arrangement, but I've adopted the blind-spot free after nearly hitting more than a few drivers who were in my blind spot.