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Why do you have blind spots in the first place? http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots http://www.caranddriver.co

Why do you have blind spots in the first place? http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirr... "The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror." I've been driving this way for a long time, and it's great. You can already see behind you: you don't need 2 more mirrors showing you the same thing.

deleted 14y ago
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TylerE 14y ago
Not sure why this is news. They've existed in Europe for over a decade. i've had them on my VW Golf almost since I bought it (Mirrors: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_VI--TDI/Exterior/Mirrors/ES1892098/ http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_VI--TDI/Exterior/Mi...) they're convex, and variable radius. They're great. MUCH better than the "Car and Driver" technique. The problem is, as usual, regulator - DOT requires carmakers to sell new cars with a flat drivers side mirror.
CodeMage 14y ago
I don't know about others, but here's an extract from the article you linked that explains why I have blind spots: Those who have switched to the SAE's approach swear by it, however, some drivers can't adjust to not using the outside mirrors to see directly behind the car and miss being able to see their own car in the side mirrors. The reason I need to see a bit of my car in the side mirror is because I need to know not only what is behind me, but also where it is in relation to my car.
- ramLlama 14y ago
  True, but as you get used to seeing the vehicle cross from your center mirror to your side mirror, you get a sense of where it is. Your point of reference just changes from your car in the side mirror to the combination of the location of the vehicle in the side mirror and the center mirror. You really just have to get used to it. I swear by this technique now.
- nollidge 14y ago
  This doesn't replace shoulder checks, so as long as you keep doing that, you should get used to it with a couple hours of drive time.
- cynicalkane 14y ago
  Just lean to the side a little and the rear of the car will be brought back into the view of the mirror.
- dredmorbius 14y ago
  For a similar experience: I row, and occasionally use a cycling mirror to keep track of what's behind me -- that is, what's in front of the boat. When rowing (sculling) you face backwards. This occasionally presents navigational issues. The mirror is almost completely useless. It's rather less useful on water than it would be on a bike. The problem is orientation. With a fixed mirror, you know where things are in relation to your vehicle (car, boat, bike, etc.). With a head-mounted mirror, on a bike, you still have a generally fixed landmark to orient off of: the road, which over short distances exhibits to a good first-order approximation a high degree of linearity. That is: it goes before you, it goes behind you, you can draw a line between two points, and you have a pretty good idea of where things are relative to your position. In a boat (dingy or rowing shell), there is no road (a straight marked rowing course might be different). Without a mirror, you generally navigate by occasionally checking over your shoulder to see if your dead reckoning is about right, then line up your stern (the back of the boat, but directly in front of your line of site). And you hope that nothing pops up suddenly in front of your bow (a buoy, a fixed marker, a swimmer, driftwood or debris, another boat, a breakwater, a dock, a pier, a sea lion, a cruise ship, a seagull, a submarine, a pelican, a whale .... and yes, I've encountered pretty much all of these at one point or another). You check over your shoulder at reasonably frequent intervals (every 10-20 strokes -- about 100-200 yards). The mirror gives you some sense that there's something somewhere behind you. It does a really crap job of telling you just where that something is. If the field of view is large enough, you might be able to orient off the bow of the boat, but generally it's not and you're not fully stable enough to take advantage of that. I generally row without the mirror. And I keep my car's side-view mirrors adjusted so I can just see the sides of my car on the far inside of the mirror, to better judge positions of other vehicles relative to mine, blind spot (US flat mirror standards) be damned.
emehrkay 14y ago
When I explain this to people they think that I am crazy. There is absolutely no need to see the same thing in the side mirrors and the rearview. It should be a seamless transition between them, like a multi-monitor setup.
adolph 14y ago
Having a bit of own-car in the side mirror allows for verification that the mirror is oriented as intended. Is there an orientation test for the SAE recommendation?
- vacri 14y ago
  It also helps a little with reverse parking.
- klahnakoski 14y ago
  Yes, while driving, use cars in the lanes beside you. As a car passes you can adjust your side mirror so it catches the car just as it leaves your rear view mirror. With this setting, the passing car will enter your peripheral vision before it leaves your side mirror. Once set you can find a head position that allows you see your own car, and you can use that position to reset your mirrors after the wife drives your car.
  - jeremyarussell 14y ago
    and you can use that position to reset your mirrors after the wife drives your car. Wouldn't it be better just to teach her the better method? Edit: Thought twice, I suppose not all couples are the same size anyways, so even if she does know they'll be different.
simcop2387 14y ago
I thought that was how you were supposed to adjust the mirrors! Though I think on some cars this arrangement can leave a blind spot one more lane over (the one next to the one next to you) which isn't as big of a deal since they won't normally be able to cause a problem or even exist on most roads. I haven't finished reading the article but if his mirror solves that issue too it's still an improvement.
- nollidge 14y ago
  And that's why you should still do shoulder checks.
- kbolino 14y ago
  I use this mirror set up, but generally without over-the-shoulder checks. I can say that I've nearly hit people while changing lanes on multiple (but infrequent) occasions, when they were originally two lanes away from me, not visible in my mirrors, going slightly faster than me, and then changed lanes to the one beside me. They seem to sneak in during the second or two between when I first look in the mirror and begin the maneuver. It's a rare occurrence, but not rare enough for my comfort. I have my turn signal on the entire time (I start signalling when I intend to turn), and this still happens to me. I'm definitely going to start using over-the-shoulder checks again.
nollidge 14y ago
I've done this for a few years, but the one use case it's worse is when you are in a slow/stopped lane and want/need to switch to a lane that's moving faster, and you need to see far back in that adjacent lane to see approaching cars. In those cases I'll actually move my mirror in, then readjust it out later.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

TylerE 14y ago

Not sure why this is news. They've existed in Europe for over a decade. i've had them on my VW Golf almost since I bought it (Mirrors: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_VI--TDI/Exterior/Mirrors/ES1892098/ http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_VI--TDI/Exterior/Mi...) they're convex, and variable radius. They're great. MUCH better than the "Car and Driver" technique. The problem is, as usual, regulator - DOT requires carmakers to sell new cars with a flat drivers side mirror.

CodeMage 14y ago

I don't know about others, but here's an extract from the article you linked that explains why I have blind spots: Those who have switched to the SAE's approach swear by it, however, some drivers can't adjust to not using the outside mirrors to see directly behind the car and miss being able to see their own car in the side mirrors. The reason I need to see a bit of my car in the side mirror is because I need to know not only what is behind me, but also where it is in relation to my car.

ramLlama 14y ago
True, but as you get used to seeing the vehicle cross from your center mirror to your side mirror, you get a sense of where it is. Your point of reference just changes from your car in the side mirror to the combination of the location of the vehicle in the side mirror and the center mirror. You really just have to get used to it. I swear by this technique now.
nollidge 14y ago
This doesn't replace shoulder checks, so as long as you keep doing that, you should get used to it with a couple hours of drive time.
cynicalkane 14y ago
Just lean to the side a little and the rear of the car will be brought back into the view of the mirror.
dredmorbius 14y ago
For a similar experience: I row, and occasionally use a cycling mirror to keep track of what's behind me -- that is, what's in front of the boat. When rowing (sculling) you face backwards. This occasionally presents navigational issues. The mirror is almost completely useless. It's rather less useful on water than it would be on a bike. The problem is orientation. With a fixed mirror, you know where things are in relation to your vehicle (car, boat, bike, etc.). With a head-mounted mirror, on a bike, you still have a generally fixed landmark to orient off of: the road, which over short distances exhibits to a good first-order approximation a high degree of linearity. That is: it goes before you, it goes behind you, you can draw a line between two points, and you have a pretty good idea of where things are relative to your position. In a boat (dingy or rowing shell), there is no road (a straight marked rowing course might be different). Without a mirror, you generally navigate by occasionally checking over your shoulder to see if your dead reckoning is about right, then line up your stern (the back of the boat, but directly in front of your line of site). And you hope that nothing pops up suddenly in front of your bow (a buoy, a fixed marker, a swimmer, driftwood or debris, another boat, a breakwater, a dock, a pier, a sea lion, a cruise ship, a seagull, a submarine, a pelican, a whale .... and yes, I've encountered pretty much all of these at one point or another). You check over your shoulder at reasonably frequent intervals (every 10-20 strokes -- about 100-200 yards). The mirror gives you some sense that there's something somewhere behind you. It does a really crap job of telling you just where that something is. If the field of view is large enough, you might be able to orient off the bow of the boat, but generally it's not and you're not fully stable enough to take advantage of that. I generally row without the mirror. And I keep my car's side-view mirrors adjusted so I can just see the sides of my car on the far inside of the mirror, to better judge positions of other vehicles relative to mine, blind spot (US flat mirror standards) be damned.

emehrkay 14y ago

When I explain this to people they think that I am crazy. There is absolutely no need to see the same thing in the side mirrors and the rearview. It should be a seamless transition between them, like a multi-monitor setup.

adolph 14y ago

Having a bit of own-car in the side mirror allows for verification that the mirror is oriented as intended. Is there an orientation test for the SAE recommendation?

vacri 14y ago
It also helps a little with reverse parking.
klahnakoski 14y ago
Yes, while driving, use cars in the lanes beside you. As a car passes you can adjust your side mirror so it catches the car just as it leaves your rear view mirror. With this setting, the passing car will enter your peripheral vision before it leaves your side mirror. Once set you can find a head position that allows you see your own car, and you can use that position to reset your mirrors after the wife drives your car.
- jeremyarussell 14y ago
  and you can use that position to reset your mirrors after the wife drives your car. Wouldn't it be better just to teach her the better method? Edit: Thought twice, I suppose not all couples are the same size anyways, so even if she does know they'll be different.

simcop2387 14y ago

I thought that was how you were supposed to adjust the mirrors! Though I think on some cars this arrangement can leave a blind spot one more lane over (the one next to the one next to you) which isn't as big of a deal since they won't normally be able to cause a problem or even exist on most roads. I haven't finished reading the article but if his mirror solves that issue too it's still an improvement.

nollidge 14y ago
And that's why you should still do shoulder checks.
kbolino 14y ago
I use this mirror set up, but generally without over-the-shoulder checks. I can say that I've nearly hit people while changing lanes on multiple (but infrequent) occasions, when they were originally two lanes away from me, not visible in my mirrors, going slightly faster than me, and then changed lanes to the one beside me. They seem to sneak in during the second or two between when I first look in the mirror and begin the maneuver. It's a rare occurrence, but not rare enough for my comfort. I have my turn signal on the entire time (I start signalling when I intend to turn), and this still happens to me. I'm definitely going to start using over-the-shoulder checks again.

nollidge 14y ago

I've done this for a few years, but the one use case it's worse is when you are in a slow/stopped lane and want/need to switch to a lane that's moving faster, and you need to see far back in that adjacent lane to see approaching cars. In those cases I'll actually move my mirror in, then readjust it out later.