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 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.
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 saw something Like six years ago where someone said “your car isn’t gonna go anywhere. You don’t need to see your car in your side mirrors. Adjust them so you can just barely see your car if you lean over, and you’ll have so much better vision in them.”
Rejected. This arrangement is suitable only for highway driving. It is extraordinarily dangerous for city driving, especially in backing.
This puts very large blind spots up close to the car. Spots large enough to hide a pedestrian as you back out of a parking space.
The “door handles” alignment provides better view when backing. Clearing blind spots for lane changes is easily accomplished by leaning forward, which widens the angle of reflection.
Looking over the shoulders is not desirable: It takes your eyes too far away from your direction of travel. Leaning forward, your direction of travel is still in your peripheral vision.
Convex “wedge” mirrors are an excellent addition.
Good arguments. Fun fact: My first accident occurred when I was looking over my shoulder to change lanes. The road was also sheer ice.
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.
Taking your eyes off the road ahead is never a good idea. The view from the right hand mirror is better than the view from over the right shoulder: the shoulder view of the blind spot is obstructed by the B and C pillars. Over the left side, you have to turn over 90 degrees, or just use the mirror properly.
Try leaning forward 8-12 inches. The angle of reflection widens, providing a clear view of the blind spot, while leaving the road ahead visible in your peripheral vision.
Mirrors are better. Use them. Add convex “wedge” mirrors for an even better view.
turn your head and look with your eyes before changing lanes, full stop.
I’d rather not take my eyes so fully off of what’s happening in front of me at speed, that’s why I have my mirrors set up so I can see the lanes next to me: to use my eyes without having to contort my body
If you can’t take your eyes off the road long enough to turn your head and check your blind spots, then you are probably not in a spot safe enough to allow a lane change anyway 🤷♂️
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.
You can have your mirrors adjusted properly while still looking over your shoulder. I posted above that I was taught how to properly adjust my mirrors I I’ve never had blind spots, but I still always look over my shoulders - including opening my door as the Dutch do (open the driver door with your right hand, not the left, because this forces you to reach across yourself and thus turn to see what might be coming towards you and you might open your door into)
Yes, they do.
I was taught in driver’s ed back in the 90’s how to correctly set my mirrors, but apparently I’m the only one who paid attention, because everyone else did that “adjust the mirror so you can see the handle of the back door” thing WITHOUT the leaning all the way to both sides thing. It’s like it’s been ingrained in everyone’s heads without there ever being a reason, just like how we all got the idea to blow into Nintendo cartridges and it was a worldwide thing even though we didn’t have the Internet or anything to spread it around and I’m fact it actually might have caused issues.
I have absolutely no issues backing into parking spots like other commenters are saying, even though I’ve had my mirrors adjusted properly on every car I’ve ever had, and I don’t have blind spots. My twin got into my car (I say that to make it clear we are the same height and use the same seat adjustment) and she got so confused driving my car and noted that my mirrors were set so oddly, and I said “no, they are set properly”. I ended up digging out a old driver’s ed book from highschool at my parents’ house to show her how to set them and the page titled “the myth of blind spots”. She hasn’t changed her mirrors, she likes where hers are.
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.
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’m scared, how many people adjust the mirrors for “reverse parking”.
And still reversing until tires touch a curb.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.
Autocross is a blast to watch, must be crazy fun driving!
You should just be able to see a sliver of the side of your car in the side view mirrors. WTF do you need to be looking at the side of your car behind you for?
I used to adjust my mirrors to see a sliver of my car, but it’s still not ideal. See my comment above.
Why do you need to see any part of your car in your mirrors? Afraid it’s going to go somewhere you’re not expecting?
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.
Or you could leave the mirrors as they should be, and just turn your head to check your blind spots?
They are sideview mirrors. Most people do not have them where they should be and instead have three mirrors pointing to the rear, showing basically the same thing. Why turn your head away from the front when a quick look to the mirror is safer?
You don’t need to turn your head with the mirrors pointing “to the rear”. Just lean forward about 8-12 inches to clear your blind spot.
Then you don’t have to set your mirrors so wide that a pedestrian in a grocery store parking lot can hide from them simply by walking behind your car.
The arrangement you are advocating should only be used on the highway, not in the city and never when backing.
Incorrect. It is safer to have the mirrors cover a wider range. Just adjust your mirrors correctly to not triple what they show.
Pointing all mirrors back produces the blind spot we have been discussing this whole time and makes it more unsafe because things can be in that blind spot. A pedestrian behind your car would be seen by the rear view mirror.
The arrangement you are advocating for is incorrect and should never be used due to it solely limiting view and increasing danger.
Listen to the engineers.
A pedestrian behind your car would be seen by the rear view mirror.
That’s incorrect.
If you are parked in a typical parking spot with the mirrors arranged like this, pedestrians standing on the end of the lines marking that space are not visible in either the rear view or the side mirrors. This is the most dangerous place to miss a pedestrian, as they will be hit as soon as you start moving.
This is the case in every vehicle I have tested this in, with the exception of a convertible that didn’t have C-pillars obstructing the rear view.
This arrangement is not suitable for city driving, specifically because it creates a different blind spot: A blind spot that is much more dangerous for pedestrians, and cannot be overcome by simply leaning forward slightly. A blind spot up close to the rear of the vehicle, where neither the driver nor the pedestrian has time to react to the other’s presence.
This arrangement is only suitable for highway driving, and then only in vehicles with unobstructed rear views. (Trucks, vans, vehicles with 3+ rows of seating should never use this)
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.
