Are you guys blind spotted or what?
Guy call about a Mazda with blind spot electronic detection. You love the idea and is on the 10 things new cars need.
I have my mirrors set as per your original instructions, 03-05?, about moving your head,this before starting out, to the widow and …You know the rest.
Why wouldn’t you continue to educate , in this case mirror adjustment to eliminate the “blind spot” . Its like the blind spot is genetic. like a nose, hey everybody has one.I don’t. I followed the Car Talk Guys instructions on how to get rid of the blind spot.
Or are you on the car advancement committee?
When are you going to have amory lovins on the show. Lets kick it up a notch boys. You won’t live for ever and you could actually help, deliver us.
I will be one of you six loyal listeners as long as you continue to hit for average.
Thanks
Mike Robinson , Stillwater , just up the road from mr. block in MPLS
Generally the appropriate practice when you’ve been informed that you’ve posted in the wrong place is to allow a moderator to move the original post, rather than posting it again.
I’m glad you found success by using the “mirrors-out” setup. I use it too. It’s great. 99% of drivers have never heard of it. And most of those never listen to Car Talk because they don’t give a damn about cars, and view them as an appliance to get them from one place to another. We don’t tend to listen to radio shows about appliances, which is why Washing Machine Talk and Oven Talk never caught on.
So, now that we’re aware that a large part of the 99% of people who do not use “mirrors out” are never going to hear about “mirrors out” and therefore will likely never use it, I’m sure you’ll now understand why the hosts support a system that eliminates the need for it and therefore makes all those lousy drivers who don’t bother to find out how to eliminate blind spots just a little less likely to run into your car (and my car).
The method works in my Accord, but not the Silhouette.
The Silhouette/Luminavan was a very weird car from a driver ergonomics standpoint. While I very much appreciated the fact that it bore a stunning resemblance to a shuttlecraft from the Enterprise-D, the view from the cockpit was very non-conventional thanks to the steeply raked windshield. I’m not surprised this doesn’t work well in that car since the mirrors are small and relatively far away.
I believe the brochure for my Mazda said the windshield for my car was tilted at like a 66 degree angle. unconventional, but it is pretty easy to see out of
I think it’s the size of the outside mirrors. The inside mirror can’t be much larger without seeing the side pillars.
Come to think of it, it’s a reaaally long van. If it was shorter, a wider mirror would be useful.
Elephantwalker, original poster here.
As to the reply that said most people don’t listen to cartalk. Ok I agree. But a few things.
- Tom and Ray should be and it was them that opted for a new technolgy rather than push a primitive technology that would eliminate, by your estimate, the blind spot for most cars. As it takes 12-13 years to turn the car fleet there are a LOT of cars and drivers that would benefit from the mirror adustment “trick”. As I believe this was the product of an auto engineer, not Tom/ray, it is out there. How about license bureaus, driver instructors and auto mfgs to spread the word. Its not about Car Talk its about dangerous blind spots.
I do know people who swear that they have a blind spot and it can’t be eliminated. Of course they continue to set the mirrors the old way. I don’t care how small your mirrors are , they may have to be adjusted to show exactly the most dangerous spot. From your rear bumper to your mirror , where your vision-without turning your head , picks up the car on your side. That is the biggest danger-trying to move into a space that is already occupied.