Vehicle Safety Quick Tip–Mirror Position
Did you know that there are optimal positions for your outside mirrors? Most of us learn to drive thinking that as long as we glance in our side mirrors and can see the vehicles in the lanes next to us, we’re doing great. But those mirrors serve a purpose to help us see in our blind spots. Some vehicles have much larger blind spots than others and the mirrors can help us virtually eliminate the blind spots and avoid side swipes, or nasty horn honking at the very least.
So, what is optimal positioning for your side mirrors? Position them so that you can only see a smidge of your vehicle in them. Yep, you don’t need to see a chunk of your vehicle in the mirror—think about it. Why would you? If you don’t already have your mirrors in this optimal position and it’s hard for you to change suddenly, make the change gradually. That’s what I had to do several years ago and it took me about a week of changing the mirrors a notch each day to get used to the new position. Habits are hard to break, but if it keeps you from wiping someone out, hey, it’s worth it!
Reader Comments
Great tip!
The 2010 CX-9 we drove had blind spot monitors. A little icon lit up on the side mirrors when there was a vehicle in either side blind spot. We ended up with a 2007, but I wanted that feature soooo bad. I know the new suburbans have that option too.
I actually need to have my mirror adjusted so that I can’t see ANY of my car, otherwise I still have a blind spot. I have it set so I see the next lane over–I don’t need to see the lane I’m in at all.
I’m definitely going to adjust my mirrors the next time I drive. Thanks for the tip!
Blind spot monitors are brilliant! And it’s true, Lismama810, you don’t really need to see the lane you’re in at all–that’s what your rearview mirror is for (if you can see out of it–i.e., not pulling a trailer). In taking the picture above of my left side mirror, I have more of my van in the pic than I usually have as I drive. It was surprisingly hard to hold the camera where I position my head as I drive, lol.
That’s not how I learned to adjust my mirrors. I find that if I can see any of my vehicle at all, then I have a huge blind spot.
How I learned to adjust my mirrors:
Lean your head way over to the side. Adjust the mirror so that you can just barely see a bit of your own vehicle. Sit back up.
On the driver’s side, I actually touch my head to the window while adjusting the mirror. For the passenger’s side, I lean about as far as I would during driving. This keeps my blind spots to a minimum. If I suspect that there may be a vehicle in my blind spot, leaning side to side while driving lets me see a wider angle than just a quick glance.
Pixels, I’ve heard that method touted on Click n Clack. I tried it, but felt completely out of sorts. Maybe I need to try Heather’s suggestion to make it a gradual change.
I have to thank Mr. Mario Meo, my Driver’s Ed teacher way back in the 80′s, for teaching me how to position the rear view mirrors (basically the method you describe). He also said that when you want to change lanes, 1.) signal 2.) speed up a tad 3.) make sure you can see the other vehicles headlights before you make your move.
Thank you, I just got a brand new kia sorento and OMG The blind spots, I am horrible and always position the mirrors so I can see a lot of the car, I already went out and changed them.. I needed it badly, I almost wiped out twice in two days.. I swear no one was there.. then they suddenly were!
jufinoma, congrats on the new Sorento! My dh’s SUV is horrible for blind spots, too. Hope the new mirror position helps.