How should I adjust my mirrors?

Gosh

i just read an article in the newspaper. The advice is: set the left sideview mirror so that you can see a little bit of your own car when your head is moved about four inches to the left.

Set the right side rear view mirror so that you can see a little bit of the side of your own car when your head is about four inches to the right of where it is when you drive. Seems like a good idea because the side mirrors are mostly needed to look for clearance before changing lanes.

My car has mirrors that I can adjust from the drivers seat (electric). I also turn the mirrors down on the highway when cars coming up from behind have a tendency to blind me at night.

Bridgewater Betty

After years of driving (I'm old) my preference is to set them to where I can see a little bit of the car, and as much as possible of the road next to it. Make sure you don't set them so high as to obstruct your vision of the side of the car, because you want to see anything right on the side. The rear view mirror can be used to cover the rear of the car, and I like it slightly off to the right side to pick up the remaining blind spot area, because I get a much better picture from the left side view mirror, being able to shift my head to cover a lot of space while looking in the left mirror.

On the left, I set the side view mirror the same as the right (a little bit of the car just so I can reference it).

When I change lanes, I never do the over-the-shoulder check although it may be "better" than the way I drive. I use the mirrors, and if necessary I'll lean forward or up/down when checking the mirrors, so that I get the whole picture. You can see a lot more area in the mirror, if you move your head just slightly.

Although I'm not an expert, I've driven many accident free miles. One final tip: Always keep a running mental image of what is around you. Take note of cars approaching fast from behind or passing you on the side, and always make lane changes methodically (i.e. not like a lunatic). That way, if a problem comes up, there is more time to avoid it.

jtexas

size of the blind spot varies directly with the amount of your own car you can see in the mirror.

new drivers usually need to see some of their car in the mirror, as a point of reference, otherwise the images in the mirror can be disorienting, but as you gain experience you can rotate the mirrors out, decreasing your blind spot.

There is *always* a blind spot on your right side (that would be on your left in England and Australia). If you don't check over your shoulder, you will eventually try to merge into another car.

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