The government has told us wrong for many years. To my normal readers, this should be no big surprise. We examine it every day. For new readers, let me explain.
For decades your state’s department of motor vehicles has been misguiding you and creating a danger that doesn’t need to be created. I am talking about blind spots when you adjust your mirrors. Look in almost any state-produced driver’s manual, and they will tell you how to adjust the three mirrors on your car and then warn you about blindspots. You can adjust your mirrors without producing blind spots. You will be safer when you drive. Here’s how it works:
1. Sit in your driver’s seat.
2. Put your head against the driver’s window.
3. With your mirror adjuster, move the driver’s side mirror until the right side of the mirror swings out to meet the back of the rear quarter panel of your car.
4. Move the adjustment to the passenger side mirror.
5. With your head against the driver’s window, move the passenger side mirror until the left side of the mirror meets the rear back of the rear quarter panel of the car.
6. Now begin moving the rear view mirror toward your left until you achieve a true panoramic vision with all three mirrors. (It’s going to look strange at first, especially since the side mirrors may appear to pick up more shoulder or grass at first.)
What you have just done is removed all blind spots from your mirrors. At first, since you have been conditioned wrong by your state government’s guide for many years, it will seem odd to you—even a little uncomfortable. So you need to go to a slow road and let someone pass you.
Stay in the right lane. Watch the car behind you enter the passenger side mirror. As it passes you, it will enter the center mirror until you start to see the front end approach your driver’s side mirror. As it leaves the driver’s side mirror the front quarter panel of the car will enter your peripheral vision. The car never disappeared, which means it never entered a blind spot.
To be honest, it took me a few weeks to adjust to the change. You will find yourself double checking yourself, but I have done this long enough to know it has never failed me. I no longer have close calls because I wasn’t paying attention as a car entered what was my blind spot. This is a safer way to drive.
Posted by: Bungalow Bill
resource: http://bungalowbillscw.blogspot.com/2009/10/end-dangerous-blind-spots-in-your-cars.html