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Unfortunately, this is wrong (objectively, not subjectively). Even more unfortunately this is how everybody is taught to drive. I don't know how the exam looks

Unfortunately, this is wrong (objectively, not subjectively). Even more unfortunately this is how everybody is taught to drive. I don't know how the exam looks in Czech Republic but here in Poland there is a lot of backing and the driving teachers set mirrors this way to make it easier for learners to pass the exam. Side mirrors are designed to fill the blind spot on the side of your car. If you see the side of your car your side mirror mostly sees the same thing that your rear view mirror. You don't need three mirrors to show you what's behind your car. The correct way to set the side mirror is to imagine the cone of the rear view mirror and the cone of your peripheral vision and point your side mirror directly between those cones. I set my side mirrors so that they point outwards a tiny bit but if I move my head to the side I can see the side of my car. In my car this is enough to close my blind spot but still enough to observe the side of my car while parking. I almost always park with my back first because I don't have stereoscopic vision and it is easier for me to judge distances when parking with back of my car first. And I don't have any problem -- I just move my head to the left or to the right as needed. When you park you can move your car as slow as you need and stop if you need more time. But when you drive at highway speeds you may not have that much time and this is when you need to be able to observe around your car in a split second without moving your head. I noticed when I almost smashed into a car in my blindspot. I started reading and I found that I have been using mirrors the wrong way entire time. Here, I found an example link for you. https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/lskpl/lpt_how_to_adjust_car_mirrors_to_remove_the_blind/ https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/lskpl/lpt_how_... I can tell you it takes a little bit of effort to adjust to new mirror position. You can get used to moving your head during parking (looks silly but you can park just fine). But you will thank me the first time you merge, especially at an angle and see how easy it is since you are seeing EVERYTHING with your mirrors and your peripheral vision, without needing to move your head.

Dylan16807 5y ago
Those figures at the top show a view pointed much more at the car than a sliver. I'm not sure how much I can interpret from this beyond the general idea. What are the actual viewing angles in a real car? Also why not make the mirrors capture a slightly wider field so you can have the best of both...?
- lmilcin 5y ago
  Thanks to another commenter I found better pic of correct mirror placement: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/road-safety/1415402d1442394615-eliminating-blind-spots-how-correctly-adjust-mirrors-orvm-correct.jpg https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/road-safety/14154... The rear and side mirrors overlap but only further behind the car and side mirrors don't show the road far behind you at all. > Also why not make the mirrors capture a slightly wider field so you can have the best of both...? Probably because it would require either much larger mirrors or much more curved (and thus making things even smaller than they already are). There are cars with much larger mirrors. If you notice, in most countries cars/trucks that don't have rear window (and thus no rear view mirror) are required to have larger side mirrors that can also cover the road behind the truck. Though trucks have other visibility problems that come mostly from the fact of just how high the driver sits.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    If that's the correct mirror placement, then adjusting it to barely see your own car is less than five degrees off. If that's a dealbreaker than I'd say it's definitely worth the slight mirror size increase or slight magnification change to make the field of view five degrees wider.
    - lmilcin 5y ago
      Do following exercise. Park parallel to a road with slow traffic. Observe cars coming from behind you as they transition from rear view mirror to side mirror to your peripheral vision. Make your own decision on what is right or not (it is your safety anyway). I prefer to have two small blind spots that can't fit a cyclist in either of them than one larger that can fit a small car.
      - Dylan16807 5y ago
        > I prefer to have two small blind spots that can't fit a cyclist in either of them than one larger that can fit a small car. And I'd rather have only one small blind spot, while being better able to judge where things in my side mirror are relative to my car. And this wouldn't require a big change to the mirror, only a quite small one, if that diagram is accurate. Also, the field of view shouldn't be so narrow that a 4 degree tilt makes a blind spot too big (my head moves more than that all the time!).

Dylan16807 5y ago

Those figures at the top show a view pointed much more at the car than a sliver. I'm not sure how much I can interpret from this beyond the general idea. What are the actual viewing angles in a real car? Also why not make the mirrors capture a slightly wider field so you can have the best of both...?

lmilcin 5y ago
Thanks to another commenter I found better pic of correct mirror placement: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/road-safety/1415402d1442394615-eliminating-blind-spots-how-correctly-adjust-mirrors-orvm-correct.jpg https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/road-safety/14154... The rear and side mirrors overlap but only further behind the car and side mirrors don't show the road far behind you at all. > Also why not make the mirrors capture a slightly wider field so you can have the best of both...? Probably because it would require either much larger mirrors or much more curved (and thus making things even smaller than they already are). There are cars with much larger mirrors. If you notice, in most countries cars/trucks that don't have rear window (and thus no rear view mirror) are required to have larger side mirrors that can also cover the road behind the truck. Though trucks have other visibility problems that come mostly from the fact of just how high the driver sits.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  If that's the correct mirror placement, then adjusting it to barely see your own car is less than five degrees off. If that's a dealbreaker than I'd say it's definitely worth the slight mirror size increase or slight magnification change to make the field of view five degrees wider.
  - lmilcin 5y ago
    Do following exercise. Park parallel to a road with slow traffic. Observe cars coming from behind you as they transition from rear view mirror to side mirror to your peripheral vision. Make your own decision on what is right or not (it is your safety anyway). I prefer to have two small blind spots that can't fit a cyclist in either of them than one larger that can fit a small car.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      > I prefer to have two small blind spots that can't fit a cyclist in either of them than one larger that can fit a small car. And I'd rather have only one small blind spot, while being better able to judge where things in my side mirror are relative to my car. And this wouldn't require a big change to the mirror, only a quite small one, if that diagram is accurate. Also, the field of view shouldn't be so narrow that a 4 degree tilt makes a blind spot too big (my head moves more than that all the time!).