You really don’t need to see the side of your car; if it’s missing, you’re too late anyway.
I made this video years ago. The is a Subaru Outback in the video, but all of my vehicles are adjusted the same way. I have no blind spots. The mantra that there are always blind spots comes from people who have not adjusted their mirrors correctly.
You would be hard pressed to find a car with a greater potential for a blind spot than my Saab 93 convertible. A smallish rear window with huge sail panels. But even on that car, I can just have a direct pass off from rear mirror to side mirrors.
^ That’s exactly it. (Though I suspect you may get a few comments about you recording that and driving at the same time. 
)
Yeah I know. I acknowledge that in the video. I picked a fairly straight section of a road I know well. But still, there is irony in doing something unsafe in order to show someone how to be safe.
Try that with an E150 and get back to me.
This. Nobody is excused from turning their head and looking over their shoulder, no matter how well you think your mirrors are positioned. If the question is “can I change lanes,” your mirrors can answer “no” or “maybe,” but they should never be counted on for an unequivocal “yes.”
That’s the way I was taught to position the mirror in driver’s ed and have done it that way ever since.
The only worry for me is someone coming from a couple lanes down. Otherwise, yes, the mirrors and peripheral vision take care of all the blind spots. (The only real blind spot is by the rear bumper, and, if you want, you can see it in the mirror by moving over a bit.) I rarely look over my shoulder except when changing lanes to the right on a three or more lane road where there could be someone from an extra lane over trying to turn into it at the same time. I personally feel it safer to use my mirrors than take my eyes completely off the road by looking over my shoulder. Your mileage obviously varies.
Of course, my driving instructor was also very big into driving with the mirrors and teaching us spatial awareness of what vehicles were around us, where they were on the road, etc. He would cover up the rearview mirror while driving to ask us what color car was behind us, or ask us not to look at our side view mirrors and what color cars were to the left or right of us, etc. So driving, for me, is continual scanning of all three mirrors and the road ahead and forming a mental map of what is going on.
Pretty much the same in the video.
Although I have no memory of being taught that in drivers school, I was told this by my dad.
My two driving jobs had me in 1. a small pickup with a camper shell and 2. a side loading delivery truck(like this). I had to rely entirely on side/blind spot mirrors.
Managed to get through 19 years without an accident or close call from not seeing another vehicle.
I set mirrors so I could see straight down the sides of the vehicle. The blind spot mirrors covered the rest.
Same for personal vehicles and even the motorcycles.