Tip of the Day: Set Your Mirrors for Safety
A friend let me drive his car and as I was sliding into the driver's seat he said, "So do you know how to set your mirrors?" Of course I do, I thought. I'm a professional driver! But when he told me how he used his mirrors I had to admit it seemed like a better method.
My friend said he got the new mirror method on the Car Talk Radio Show. As they pointed out, if you set your mirror to show a sliver of your own car then basically you're looking at something that never changes...
So they recommend coordinating the three mirrors: the right and left side mirrors and the rearview mirror. Basically, you should have the mirrors set so there is only a little overlap between the three. Here's how to do it.
Set your rearview mirror the way you always do. Then, lean your head left until it touches the window and set you mirror now so you see the edge of your car. Then, lean your head to the right and set your right mirror. Now, you will see that cars will disappear from the side mirrors at the exact time they enter your rear view mirror.
I've been experimenting with this method over the past two weeks and I'm really starting to like it.
Does anyone have a better way to get great visibility from the mirrors?
And, does this mean you don't have to physically turn to look into a lane before you make a lane change?
- Posted by
- Philip Reed January 23, 2007, 7:50 AM
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I've been using this method for about three years now, and I love it. I used to check the side mirror, then over my shoulder before making a lane change. Now I check the rear view mirror then the side mirror. If you set the mirrors just right, you don't have to turn.
This method worked great in my 98 Regal, but when i started driving an older Cherokee, i ran into a couple issues, the main one being the vent window post blocking the view of my mirror.
I think in general i think the bigger the mirrors and the better the overall visibility of the vehical the better it works, and it definatly works better on the right (with your "objects are larger than the appear mirror) than it does for the left (where its more likely someone is trying to overtake you, and in your blind spot)
I've tried this. At first I didn't like it. After a few weeks I got somewhat used to it and it does eliminate blind spots. However I found that on my car (fairly small side mirrors), using this adjustment method meant that I could no longer use my side mirrors to judge closure speed of cars due to the new angle. I have gone back to having my side mirrors just barely showing the side of my car.
I guess it really depends on the car's sight lines and the mirrors. Growing up, I rarely had a right wing mirror. Then, they weren't power adjustable. But now, with bigger mirrors the trend, I think it's worth experimenting with. But like you guys point out, you have to work with it for a while before it becomes natural.
I made this switch several years ago, and will NEVER go back to the old way! The most frustrating thing is I can't convince my wife to switch, so when I get into her car I either have to drastically adjust everything, or drive around feeling like I'm only looking directly behind me.
It does take a while to get used to. But now that I'm using it, I can't believe I drove around all those years looking at the side of my car.