When driving on any street with more than one lane in either direction, blindspots can cause lots of worry. This is why we never change lanes without checking both center and side mirrors, and also turning our heads to look over our shoulder in the direction we want to go (I hope all of you reading this always use a head check!).
Sometimes however we check both mirrors and see nothing - only to do a head check and be really surprised that another motorist is RIGHT THERE! This is usually because that other motorist was in our blindspot.
Without digressing into how dangerous it can be to drive in other peoples blindspots (though I feel like many people do this without knowing it), I'll just say please don't drive slightly behind or next to anyone for more than a moment.
You can however reduce your own blindspots so that you are more likely to see those semi trucks, SUVs, cars, motorcycles (or bikes!) in your mirrors before you do your head check. The process is very simple:
Point your side view mirrors further out.
Here's why it works. Imagine your car from a bird's eye view, and the 'lines of sight' from your mirrors. Your blindspots are outside the line of sight of your side view mirror but behind the back of your front doors (outside of your peripheral vision). Many people were taught to see the sides of their car in their side mirrors, and that's how they set them up. This causes overlap between the side view and rearview mirror (try it sometime - is there anything you can see in both your side view and your rearview mirror at the same time?). Overlap between two mirrors is not necessary, as you only need to see obstacles in one place or the other (you are checking both mirrors, right?).
Once you move your side view mirrors out further, you will reduce the overlap between the rearview and side view mirrors but also reduce your blindspots (you will be able to see more of what is directly next to you in your side view mirror - where blindspot errors matter most)!
I encourage all drivers to try moving their side view mirrors out a little bit to reduce their blindspots. It may feel weird at first, but give it a try, I think you'll like it!
I have heard other people describe this same technique to be useful for other reasons. That may be and is excellent if you can get more than one benefit from one specific idea. I do want to emphasize however that the BIGGEST improvement that this technique offers is that you will see cars that are right next to you but just a little behind your shoulder - and this is the most dangerous part of your vehicle blindspot
Sometimes however we check both mirrors and see nothing - only to do a head check and be really surprised that another motorist is RIGHT THERE! This is usually because that other motorist was in our blindspot.
Without digressing into how dangerous it can be to drive in other peoples blindspots (though I feel like many people do this without knowing it), I'll just say please don't drive slightly behind or next to anyone for more than a moment.
You can however reduce your own blindspots so that you are more likely to see those semi trucks, SUVs, cars, motorcycles (or bikes!) in your mirrors before you do your head check. The process is very simple:
Point your side view mirrors further out.
Here's why it works. Imagine your car from a bird's eye view, and the 'lines of sight' from your mirrors. Your blindspots are outside the line of sight of your side view mirror but behind the back of your front doors (outside of your peripheral vision). Many people were taught to see the sides of their car in their side mirrors, and that's how they set them up. This causes overlap between the side view and rearview mirror (try it sometime - is there anything you can see in both your side view and your rearview mirror at the same time?). Overlap between two mirrors is not necessary, as you only need to see obstacles in one place or the other (you are checking both mirrors, right?).
Once you move your side view mirrors out further, you will reduce the overlap between the rearview and side view mirrors but also reduce your blindspots (you will be able to see more of what is directly next to you in your side view mirror - where blindspot errors matter most)!
I encourage all drivers to try moving their side view mirrors out a little bit to reduce their blindspots. It may feel weird at first, but give it a try, I think you'll like it!
I have heard other people describe this same technique to be useful for other reasons. That may be and is excellent if you can get more than one benefit from one specific idea. I do want to emphasize however that the BIGGEST improvement that this technique offers is that you will see cars that are right next to you but just a little behind your shoulder - and this is the most dangerous part of your vehicle blindspot
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