[WorldPax]

I saw this mentioned in another thread, and did a search to see if it had been discussed before.

Until a few years back, I just set my rearviews for whatever looked right and didn't think much of it. Then I was shown how to properly set them for the maximum benefit, of either seeing traffic, or a goblin approaching you from the back.

The actual rearview mirror is easy, from your driving position, set it so that you can see out the rear window.

For the sideviews we're going to do something a bit different. Again from the driving position, tilt your head against the side window, and adjust the mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your vehicle. For the right side mirror, lean a bit to the right and adjust that mirror the same way you did the left.

Now, from the driving position have someone walk from right to left about five feet behind the vehicle. You should not lose sight of them from the time they start to cross, until they reach the limit of the left mirror.

Make small adjustments to tighten up or widen your field of view without creating any blind spots. In traffic you will notice that that blind spot beside your car, where people just love to sit, and then act surprised when you go to change lanes into them, has disappeared.

Hope this helps, I didn't know this until t was demonstrated to me, and I have found the information very useful.

 

[Rock and Glock]

Yep - it works. Have been doing it a couple of years. Helps spot approaches from the rear.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Click & Clack talked about that in their "Car Talk" program a while back. Blind spots are a real problem with the little car I drive, and someone posted a link to their website talking about how to adjust the side view mirrors on the MINI forum where I am a member. It never dawned on me that it would be a good way to keep an eye on the BGs. WorldPax, you got it right with your description, and I have been using their method for a number of years now. It works.

You can find their link here.They go into a bit more detail.

 

[rstickle]

Thanks for the post, I'll have to try that mirror adjustment on my car the next chance I get.

 

[rocky]

Try using the small rounded mirror inserts similar to bug trucks. this eliminated your blind spots driving and will let you see movement behind and to the side of you.

 

[P95Carry]

Rocky beat me to it!

Yep - I always have on my driver's side mirror the small convex add-on - it covers my blind spot for passing vehicles - the right side of course is already slightly convex (love the message - ''Objects may seem closer than they actually are''!).

The extra adjustment too does mean we can cover a wider field. The small hyperconvex while making things very distant does prove useful because of movement spotting.

If to all this we add our con' yellow peripheral abilities and, our scanning sweeps, then it is possible to do a pretty good 360º with reasonable ease.

Our vehicle may seem like a cocoon of invulnerability sometimes but it ain't - as indeed the majority of us know.

Many sheep do not!!

 

[Zach S]

Often times the mirrors on the car are too small for the car. Take my 94 caprice for example. Its wider and longer than my Fairmont, however my Fairmonts mirrors are about the same size. I could go with mirrors off of a newer model Caprice, however I would need new doors or I'd have to patch holes in mine.

My 1990 F150 has dumbo ear mirrors on it, and I dont have any convex mirrors on it. I hate em. But I still have pretty good rear visibilty, I just have to lean one way or the other. The rear veiw is almost usless, I see top of my tailgate all the way accross the bottom of my mirror. Doesnt matter, I rarely use it anyway.