Are Blind Spots a Myth?

The worst blind spot I have to contend with are due to the A pillars. These often make it difficult to see pedestrians unless you are quite vigilant. And the town I work in has no shortage of tourists that cross at strange spots and can linger in the roadway taking pictures etc. No mirror solution to that one.

Whitey, I hear you. I didn’t make my point well. I was referring to those who back up using the over the shoulder head turn exclusively and not using the mirrors or even getting out to check the backing area. If all they do is head turn, the entire perimeter is a blind spot below the belt line. Full vision scan is always encouraged which includes mirrors, direct line of sight and yes, getting out making observations. Taking estimated measurements and transferring them to known distances with respect to what you can see from the driver’s seat, is the secret to safely stopping a tractor trailer within inches of a loading dock.

The point I did not make well is that there is in some vehicles, a contradiction between ideal mirror adjustment for backing up and safe on road driving and mirrors are not a “set and forget” feature. Wear them out…it’s should not be unusual to have a finger on the power mirror control and constantly adjusting it while backing for an operator that has the feature.

I like the option of back up and perimeter driving cameras and feel that given today’s technology and how inexpensive they can be, should be mandated for many vehicles. Sorry for the suggestion for you conservatives.

The method works for my Accord, but not for my Silhouette.

The point about mirror placement for everyday driving vs. mirror placement for backing up was well made. The only thing I would add to that is perhaps you can solve the problem by leaving them placed for backing and adding fish-eye mirrors to reduce blind spots.

Many SPOTS become BLIND due to the driver’s haste.

Sure you may have turned your head and eye-balled each mirror, but
…if you do that too fast you’ll miss something anyway !

ssslllloooowwww down and you’ll see everything.

Even with convex blind-spot mirrors, you’ll miss the fact that something is there unless you take the extra second too assess what you’re seeing there.

When training for my pilot’s license they taught a method of searching the sky for others.

– You can notice something moving…if you’re not. –

ie; hold your gaze still for a bit , then you’ll catch movement, even in your peripherals, that escape you if your eyes are moving too.

This works well with automotive mirrors as well. I back all three truck into my driveway so as I pull to the curb to prepare to swing out for backing in, I look into the yard area for two grandsons bolting about.
then swing the truck around and check the mirrors. Then ease back in reverse.
Keeping vision stationary for a second often reveals the movement I’m looking for.

Many cars have blind spots no matter how the mirrors are set. Resetting them just moves the blind spots. That’s just reality.

Fisheye (convex) spot mirrors are simply the best solution. I never leavr home without them.

I set my mirrors so the sides of the car are just out of sight - when my head is in the neutral position.
Then, I can lean a little - left or right - to see the side of the car.

I believe your method will achieve the same results as the method in the article. Whatever works!

As a sales manager part of my job was coaching defensive driving skills as my reps were all driving company leased fleet cars. Over the years I managed over 60 reps and not one of them set the side mirrors correctly before learning this method. My guess is less than 10% of the car driver’s we share the road with set their mirrors properly. Truckers seem to be much more aware of the importance of setting their mirrors properly.

I have done this for a while and it works but it takes getting used to. I cannot get use to or can stand to do this with large mirrors like on our former Astro van. I like it in smaller mirrors like my Taurus. Still, looking over the shoulder is a must.

And there are still blind spots, like the front post/ A pillar.

Agree that when backing up turning and looking over the shoulder for a view out the rear window is best. When backing a trailer I adjust the mirrors to view down the side of the car and trailer since the view out the rear window is blocked by the trailer. Readjust again before hitting the highway.

Big A pillers are a problem. I find I need to move my head when rounding some corners to see around the A pillars. Other times I just hesitate a bit longer for a second peak before moving forward and find I avoid “surprises” that way.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of anyone I know over 50 that can still twist around like this. And the median age of the population is rapidly moving over the age of 50.

And with todays deep bucket seats and headrests, I’m not sure even the younger crowd can do this looking over the shoulder movement. Unless they drive a “classic” with bench seats and no headrests.

The blind spots in my car are right over my left shoulder, the frame of the car between the drivers side window and the drivers side passenger door. That part of the frame is right next to my head. When I turn I cannot see alongside the car. The mirrors help but I want to be 100% sure so I need to look. I’ve almost hit a car several times. It’s a bad blindspot.

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“…I can’t think of anyone I know over 50 that can still twist around like this”

I can, and I exercise every day to postpone the effects of aging - I’m very fortunate that I can still exercise.

Blind spot monitors are available on some vehicles, but not many. I know the 2010 CX-7 GT model has it standard, and I believe a few Audi, Volvo or Lexus models might have it as well, but not too many have this nifty feature. Not sure how it really works, but I know they say it does

Excellent. I used to exercise every day to postpone the effects of aging…until the effects of aging kicked in and I couldn’t exercise anymore.

I have driven with the stick on mirrors mentioned by another poster, for nearly 150,000 miles, mostly highway driving. I also do not want to drive without them. There are no blind spots, except I suppose under the car if you want to nit-pick. One glance both ways and any pedestrian; motorcycle; car; or truck is instantly visible.

there is a lot of lane-changing when driving 1500 miles in two days, and I now change lanes without worry after a glance each way.

The last wreck I was in which did not involve my car dead stopped in a proper and legal manner, and being plowed into by someone else (three times) was in the early 60’s. I had been taught to drive by people who didn’t know how to drive and that one wreck was absolutely my fault, nearly 50 years ago. I made sure my kids were taught to drive correctly.

I too have been using them for many years. I’ve no doubt that they’ve saved me from countless accidents.

The ones I use are convex and at about a 10 degree angle in their mounts. Once stuck on, they can be rotated to adjust the direction of the angle. It costs $2 for a package of two. Really, really dirt cheap accident prevention.

A friend recently had to remove the bubble mirrors from a used car he bought in order to pass Maryland safety inspection.

I have a pair of them sitting in my living room that I bought for my Civic. I suppose I should go ahead and install them.

Let me relate a funny story regarding this mirror adjustment business. Several years ago at a staff meeting, we had a defensive driving instructor from our insurance carrier who was absolutely fanatical about the “head against the glass” method of adjusting outside mirrors. After his classroom presentation, which was about 90% devoted to the mirror issue, he wanted to take our drivers out three at a time to demonstrate the technique and have them use it.

With the first three drivers in the car and him behind the wheel, he proceeded to demonstrate in detail how to make the mirror adjustment before pulling out into traffic. He hadn’t gone three blocks until, making a lane change, he clipped the right front fender of another car.

What had happened was that the guy in the left rear seat was pretty good sized, and his head blocked the portion of the view from the inside mirror that was supposed to cover the blind spot off the left quarter that was created when the outside mirror was adjusted outwards. The other car was too far back to be seen in the outward adjusted outside mirror and too far forward to be seen in the partially obstructed inside mirror. It would have been clearly visible, however, had the outside mirrors been adjusted the “old-fashioned” way.

Needless to say, the mirror adjusting demonstration came to a screeching halt, and our insurance company was more than a little red-faced over the incident. Interestingly, over the next six months we had two more lane changing accidents, and in both instances the driver had followed the “head against the glass” adjustment method. Although in those two accidents our drivers were determined to have been in error for not having observed the inside and outside mirrors simultaneously, we decided to put out a memo advising drivers to adjust their mirrors in whichever way they felt most comfortable with. A full seven years passed before our next lane changing accident, and that one was again with the outside mirrors adjusted outward.

This method of adjusting mirrors undoubtedly works under many circumstances and with many drivers, but it should not be taught as gospel. There are just too many situations in which it is impractical, too many vehicles where it simply won’t work, and too many drivers who will never adapt to it.

Probably a better solution is to have two outside mirrors on each side, one to be adjusted in the conventional manner and the other a wide-angle to cover the area immediately next to the vehicle. This is seen a lot on large trucks where an inside mirror is totally useless, and it’s even showing up on some pickups. It would add a few bucks to the cost of the car, but it would certainly be more worthwhile than some of the junk they put on them now. In the meantime, the adhesive spot mirrors afford pretty good coverage provided that the outside mirrors are large enough to accomodate them.