PSA: Adjusting your side mirrors

A friendly public service announcement from Stimpy:

 

If you don't have your mirrors adjusted like the way mentioned in of all the articles below and countless more on the internet, you're doing it wrong, and no amount of crying, rolling around on the ground screaming with snot running out of your nose, throwing up, losing control of your bodily functions or saying how you've been doing it your way for 30 years and it works just fine is going to make you right, so don't bother with the witty retorts.

 

http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/amer...html/?a=viewall

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-t...oid-blind-spots

 

http://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files...TalkMirrors.pdf

 

 

The SAE (society of automotive engineers) started advertising this safer method of using the side mirrors about 20 years ago, so just because you haven't heard about it doesn't mean it's new.

 

With exotic cars that have poor visibility like the Murci, you really need to use your mirrors the right way to avoid accidents and make it more pleasurable to drive the car on busy roads, especially because of the countless drivers that sneak into your rear quarter to take pics/videos of your car without wanting you to know.

 

How do you know most people aren't using the mirrors the right way? When you are passing a car and you at at their rear quarter, if you can't see their face in their side mirror, that means they can't see you in their blind spot and are much more likely to be one of those people that changes lanes right into your pristine Murci and totals it.

 

Teach your teenagers about this method because the driving schools are stuck in the 60's and still don't know how to teach the right method.

 

That's my PSA for today...

I found this very useful. Great advice!

Bravo!

 

As a state certified driving instructor I tell my clients EXACTLY this!

At our car control clinics we discuss setting mirrors EXACTLY this way!

 

Additional comments:

 

If you are used to seeing your car - move your mirrors out a little at a time and re-adjust slowly. It can be very disorienting. Make the change over a week or two. It's easier to get used to if you make multiple small adjustments every few days.

 

The blind spot can still exist. One example is on a multi lane highway - or merging onto a two lane highway. If someone is in the far left lane and moving right, and you are in the merge lane, merging left - even with perfectly set mirrors you will not see the car coming from the far left lane moving toward your lane. It still pays to give that brief sideways look over your shoulder to double check that no one is there.

 

In this state if you change lanes and don't look over your shoulder on your driver's test - you fail.

 

One last thought - mirrors should be moved in and probably down for backing into spaces or between objects. Mirror settings for highway should not be the same for backing - but it depends on what you're backing into. I want to see the side of my car in relation to the wall or curb I'm hugging so my mirrors change for backing up.

Bravo!

 

The blind spot can still exist.

 

In this state if you change lanes and don't look over your shoulder on your driver's test - you fail.

 

One last thought - mirrors should be moved in and probably down for backing into spaces or between objects. Mirror settings for highway should not be the same for backing - but it depends on what you're backing into. I want to see the side of my car in relation to the wall or curb I'm hugging so my mirrors change for backing up.

 

 

Glad you agree with this method! It was hard for me to make the transition like everyone else that's been doing it wrong from the time they started driving, but I feel stupid for all the times I bought silly fish eye mirrors or tried memorizing cars going by to calculate if someone was in my blind spot.

 

I made sure to teach my daughter from the start to use the mirrors the right way so she didn't have to relearn. Of course, I had to train her to turn her head to pass the test, but that just shows how backwards and behind the times the driving training is these days.

 

When you learn this method, you will realize that turning your head is a really bad thing. It takes your eyes off the road -- distracted driving style. I had a good friend in high school that had the coolest yellow Gen 3 Corvette that he totaled when a lady slammed on her brakes in front on him while she was getting onto the freeway. He was busy looking over his shoulder for cars, and that was the end of the Corvette, and his dad's low insurance premiums.

Good info, this is how I roll as well

Turning head is risky - I agree.

 

In multi lane scenario you still have blind spot so at times it may be necessary.

 

Increasing following distance helps in the situation you describe where person in front slams on brakes - but I understand sometimes in heavy traffic - good following distance is tough to maintain.

 

Awesome Stimpy that you taught your daughter this way!!

I completely agree that on the driver's side, you do not have full view of what's 2 lanes over from you without moving your head. But instead of turning your head, you can bob it a little bit to see that lane if you want.

 

However, after driving for 20 years with this mirror adjustment, I have found it's not really that important what's going on behind you 2 lanes over.

 

With the cars in the lane NEXT to you, if you switch into their lane, you are encroaching into THEIR lane (pissing them off) and potentially not giving them enough time to react if you are cutting them off.

 

With cars two lanes over, if you are both switching lanes into the same lane, that lane was previously unclaimed by either car, and if you are in front, they know you have more right to the lane then they do.

 

And since the two cars started much further away from each other, the other driver can easily see your blinker and what are your intentions as you go into that lane. They therefore have a lot more time to react.

 

Turning head is risky - I agree.

 

In multi lane scenario you still have blind spot so at times it may be necessary.

 

Increasing following distance helps in the situation you describe where person in front slams on brakes - but I understand sometimes in heavy traffic - good following distance is tough to maintain.

 

Awesome Stimpy that you taught your daughter this way!!

 

Glad you agree with this method! It was hard for me to make the transition like everyone else that's been doing it wrong from the time they started driving, but I feel stupid for all the times I bought silly fish eye mirrors or tried memorizing cars going by to calculate if someone was in my blind spot.

 

I made sure to teach my daughter from the start to use the mirrors the right way so she didn't have to relearn. Of course, I had to train her to turn her head to pass the test, but that just shows how backwards and behind the times the driving training is these days.

 

When you learn this method, you will realize that turning your head is a really bad thing. It takes your eyes off the road -- distracted driving style. I had a good friend in high school that had the coolest yellow Gen 3 Corvette that he totaled when a lady slammed on her brakes in front on him while she was getting onto the freeway. He was busy looking over his shoulder for cars, and that was the end of the Corvette, and his dad's low insurance premiums.

 

 

I don't know.

 

It seems the chance of a car in the blind spot of your mirrors would be way more likely of a scenario than the person in front of you stopping suddenly.

 

I'm not saying people don't hit the brakes. but how often does that happen vs how how often are cars driving beside you or passing you?

I don't know.

 

It seems the chance of a car in the blind spot of your mirrors would be way more likely of a scenario than the person in front of you stopping suddenly.

 

I'm not saying people don't hit the brakes. but how often does that happen vs how how often are cars driving beside you or passing you?

 

I am not following what you're saying. Can you be more clear?

Yes, excellent tip. I was just telling my wife this yesterday when I was in the passenger seat and she was making a lane change to the right in her jeep and she almost hit a car that was passing on her right. We talked about the fact that no car will fit within inches of the side your car, so no need to have the mirrors there. After years on the CA 5 and 405 freeways, such adjustment just became common sense sitting in traffic with nothing else to do but play with the mirrors. This info should really be published more, such as in DMV literature, while filling at the pump and other places so that it becomes common practice like wearing a seat belt.

Yes, excellent tip. I was just telling my wife this yesterday when I was in the passenger seat and she was making a lane change to the right in her jeep and she almost hit a car that was passing on her right. We talked about the fact that no car will fit within inches of the side your car, so no need to have the mirrors there. After years on the CA 5 and 405 freeways, such adjustment just became common sense sitting in traffic with nothing else to do but play with the mirrors. This info should really be published more, such as in DMV literature, while filling at the pump and other places so that it becomes common practice like wearing a seat belt.

 

Cool.

 

It is peculiar to me that with all the emphasis on making cars safer by the government, and the insurance companies wanting to reduce their payouts, and people tired of being stuck in freeway traffic because of these lane change accidents that happen just before everyone gets out of work (which are a very high number of accidents per year from an article I read), that there isn't more effort to spread the word about a technique endorsed by the SAE.

Cool.

 

It is peculiar to me that with all the emphasis on making cars safer by the government, and the insurance companies wanting to reduce their payouts, and people tired of being stuck in freeway traffic because of these lane change accidents that happen just before everyone gets out of work (which are a very high number of accidents per year from an article I read), that there isn't more effort to spread the word about a technique endorsed by the SAE.

 

Government finds more benefit with other things such as requiring regular smog checks on collector cars regardless of annual mileage, and other such things. Yeah, would be a nice tip sheet for your insurance company to insert in there billing statement, huh. Maybe people such as insurance companies are afraid of getting sued for passing along a tip (regardless if the tip is good or not).

LOL, check out 1:40 on this video:

 

 

Just because you've been driving for 40 or 50 years with your mirrors adjusted the wrong way doesn't mean there isn't time to make a change.

 

Can you imagine if he had taken out 2 Lambos on YouTube? He would have been the most famous Murci Roadster driver on the whole interweb 4ever!

LOL, check out 1:40 on this video:

 

 

Just because you've been driving for 40 or 50 years with your mirrors adjusted the wrong way doesn't mean there isn't time to make a change.

 

Can you imagine if he had taken out 2 Lambos on YouTube? He would have been the most famous Murci Roadster driver on the whole interweb 4ever!

 

Looks like a nice group trip. Makes me want to get the GoPro out again. Since the video was filming from the passenger seat view, maybe the drivers seat view was set ok on the mirrors. But still, good example of how some drivers adjust to have that view as shown. One thing I really like on the Murci model of Lambo is how good the side visibility is with the way the mirrors were made (thin and wide). You just angle those outward slightly and you can see everything on each side.

Not gonna lie, one of my best investments for the MUrcielago were the eight dollar blind spot mirrors from AutoZone. They have saved my ass numerous times now. And I rely heavily on them while driving the car now. The blind spot is just so huge on the Murci, I think it's a worthy investment. And they look factory actually. Ha.

Not gonna lie, one of my best investments for the MUrcielago were the eight dollar blind spot mirrors from AutoZone. They have saved my ass numerous times now. And I rely heavily on them while driving the car now. The blind spot is just so huge on the Murci, I think it's a worthy investment. And they look factory actually. Ha.

 

If you think those add on mirrors are the best thing since sliced bread, you should try using your mirrors correctly! You'll be blown away when you see a full picture of what's around you and get rid of the blind spot. Those silly fish eye/blind spot mirrors are terrible compared to using your mirrors right.

 

If you think those add on mirrors are the best thing since sliced bread, you should try using your mirrors correctly! You'll be blown away when you see a full picture of what's around you and get rid of the blind spot. Those silly fish eye/blind spot mirrors are terrible compared to using your mirrors right.

 

I hear you and will take the time to read through your links tomorrow. However, I have found those silly fish eye spot mirrors incredibly helpful. And if it increases safety, which it does for me, I strongly suggest it. The Murcis are known to have a large blind spot, but part of that might have to do with the mirror not being set properly. Either way, visibility in the car is worse than any other super car I have ever owned. Or any other car for that matter, so I'll gladly accept the help of those inexpensive add ons.

I hear you and will take the time to read through your links tomorrow. However, I have found those silly fish eye spot mirrors incredibly helpful. And if it increases safety, which it does for me, I strongly suggest it. The Murcis are known to have a large blind spot, but part of that might have to do with the mirror not being set properly, as you stated. Either way, visibility in the car is worse than any other super car I have ever owned. Or any other car for that matter, so I'll gladly accept the help of those inexpensive add ons.

 

I hear you and will take the time to read through your links tomorrow. However, I have found those silly fish eye spot mirrors incredibly helpful. And if it increases safety, which it does for me, I strongly suggest it. The Murcis are known to have a large blind spot, but part of that might have to do with the mirror not being set properly. Either way, visibility in the car is worse than any other super car I have ever owned. Or any other car for that matter, so I'll gladly accept the help of those inexpensive add ons.

 

 

You'll love it. I did the add on mirror thing for years with my other exotics (with similarly bad blindspots), and I only wish I had known and tried this mirror adjustment method sooner.