June 9, 2012: Better driver's side mirror

[xoxoxoBruce]

If you can turn your head and see it, it's NOT a blind spot. A blind spot is created when vision is being restricted by part of the vehicle. A mirror or closed circuit TV is the ONLY way to see what's in your blind spot. Motorcycles don't had blind spots.

[ZenGum]

What V said. And Ali.

I have my mirrors adjusted so that I can *just* see the side of the car in the edge of the mirror - I like the reference point. I *know* there is a blind spot (okay, Bruce, a "quasi-blind" spot, for you) beside the back of my car, and I check it regularly and always before lane changes. I note and track vehicles approaching from the rear - if I see a motorbike back there, and a few moments later I can't see it, I know to actively LOOK to figure out where it is.

One time I was on a highway, two lanes each way, doing 100ks in the cruising lane, coming up behind a truck doing about 95, and with a 4WD coming up behind me at 110. I decided to let the 4WD pass me, and then pop out behind it and pass the truck. Just as the 4WD went past I popped on my indicator and flicked my head to check the blind spot before moving over ... thus catching a glimpse of the small sedan which was stuck right in behind the 4WD, previously hidden from view, and just entering the road space I was about to move into! I had *just* started to twitch the wheel but straightened in time, but I sure scared the heck out of both the other driver and myself.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If you can turn your head and see it, it's NOT a blind spot. A blind spot is created when vision is being restricted by part of the vehicle. A mirror or closed circuit TV is the ONLY way to see what's in your blind spot. Motorcycles don't had blind spots.

Yeah, and car stylists don't seem to care about blind spots much at all. In the 80's, for example, car visibility was far superior, and now you need backup cameras on regular passenger cars. It's trendy now to have narrow slit windows in back, and tall trunks that restrict views. Back in the 80s, the windows came down low all around, and the pillars were narrower. It was like driving in a fishbowl. You could see everything.

I'm kind of a crotchety old man when it comes to cars today. They mostly suck. There are a couple nice ones here and there, but mostly they are going in the wrong direction.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

...I have my mirrors adjusted so that I can *just* see the side of the car in the edge of the mirror - I like the reference point. I *know* there is a blind spot (okay, Bruce, a "quasi-blind" spot, for you) beside the back of my car, and I check it regularly and always before lane changes.

The chances of someone driving beside the back of your car on the highway is slim to none. 99.99% of the time (ok, made up internet statistic) they are driving in the lane on your left or right. If you can see the side of your car in your mirror, you're doubling your, by your definition, blind spot.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Rhianne

I'm not so sure about this idea of Monster's where a smaller field of view in the mirrors means fewer distractions. I mean, would that work for the forward view too? Should we be blocking off part of the windscreen to ensure drivers can see just enough and no more?

No, that's your natural view, it's what is of immediate "interest" to your well being and it is what your brain is already used to processing. That's why our eyes are positioned as they are. But we do not have eyes in the sides and backs of our heads (most of us), so seeing those extra views is an additional distraction

[jimhelm]

Originally Posted by Rhianne

I'll have to look next time I go outside, I'm not even sure my car has mirrors. I usually want to see where I'm going, not where I've been.

YOU are the problem.

360° awareness at all times.

Expect the dickhead to act like a dickhead. Look in the other car's side mirrors to see if Rhianne is about to do something stupid.

If you have a known blind spot, assume there is a trash truck in it.

[Aliantha]

Or a motorcycle...

[Rhianne]

I was being silly, of course my car has mirrors - how else would I be able to squeeze spots properly or sort my hair?

[jimhelm]

oh you