Eliminating Blind Spots

Most people like to adjust the wing mirrors so that they can see along the side of the vehicle from the normal driving position. Unfortunately, there is a blind spot between the view you see in the mirror and the view you get out of the side window. A car may be lurking in this area and may surprise you when you go to change lanes. One method to overcome this is as follows:

* Lean up against the driver door, put your head against the window, and adjust the driver wing mirror so that you can just see along the side of the vehicle.

* Move to the passenger seat and do the same thing.

This reduces the amount of overlap between the rear view mirror and the wing mirror, but means that the wing mirrors see further out into the blind spot. As a vehicle moves from your rear view mirror, it appears in one of your wing mirrors. As it moves from the wing mirror, it becomes visible out of the corner of your eye.

Use this technique with caution! Because there is less overlap between the various mirrors, you will find that you have to check in both the rear view mirror and the wing mirror before changing lanes. One Researcher offers the following cautionary advice:

Then, of course, there's always the absolutely foolproof way... never, ever change lanes without checking over your shoulder first.

The only exception is when you've passed someone in the lane you intend to move into, and you've got them in your mirror. But even then it could lead to an accident, if some aggressive b*****d jumped into it behind you and floored it. So check then, too.[/b]