I’m having a debate with someone who is wrong, and I need to quantify it for them.
So as to explain option #2 a little better, this would enable you to see a car that is in the next lane, and is behind you by at least a half car length.
If adjusted properly, there should be little overlap between your side mirrors and center mirror, thus maximizing field of view.
For the driver’s side, lean your head against the driver’s window and adjust the mirror so you see the side of the car; it may appear very far to the left lane (US), but that’s your blind spot.
To adjust the passenger side, lean over the center console and adjust it to again see the side of the vehicle.
I’ve yelled at my wife, “Why do you need to see the same exact thing in three different mirrors? There’s no point!”
Definitely not the first, but not the second one either. I need an option one or two past that, before the Don’t know/don’t care option. Probably what JohnGalt wrote, but I don’t lean my head when setting the mirrors.
ETA: What pabstist, you’ve never seen those three-sided mirrors in clothing stores near the changing rooms?
On the other hand, my wife believes the side mirrors are for looking at the side of our car, apparently. (Without leaning.)
I adjust mine so that I see a sliver of the side of the car for perspective.
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), I’m doing it wrong.
Not as wrong as having all three pointed at the same spot on the horizon behind me, but still,
Projammer: crikey, me too!
But, s’okay, I physically turn my head and LOOK into the next lane before changing over; I’ve never depended on the side mirrors. Too small. Don’t trust 'em.
Neither. (ETA: After seeing your clarification, #2 is right for me in most cases.) And there is no one “right” way. It does kind of depend on your vehicle. For a car, I always set my side view mirrors wide. Going from left mirror to rearview mirror to right mirror, I try to come as close to creating one panoramic view of what’s going on to the side and behind me. That is, no redundant information in the side view mirrors with the rear view mirror. This set-up pretty much eliminates all blind spots, except for the possibility of someone coming a couple lanes over.
There’s a PDF here that shows you how I like to set them.
Now, I have been in vehicles without rearview mirrors. In that case, I set the sides much more narrow so I have a better view of what’s behind me. Also, sometimes I kind of need my mirrors set more “in” on some vehicles when I’m maneuvering into and out of spots that require me to see how close the side of my car is to an obstacle. But these are exceptional circumstances for me. 95% of the time, I have my side mirrors set “wide” so I don’t duplicate any information that the rearview mirror contains. There’s no reason for me to see the side of my car in the vast majority of driving circumstances. If you’re not used to setting mirrors this way, it does take a couple drives to get used to what you’re seeing and spatially putting it together in your head. But once you get it, it’s hard to go back.
pulykamell: the link didn’t seem to work…
I almost never look in my side mirrors at all. I said that to my friend once and she said she bets I do without realizing it, so I started to pay attention to see if she was right, and nope, I really don’t use them. I could try to start using them but it would probably turn out like when I tried to type correctly (I already type mostly correctly but there are a few keys I use the wrong fingers for, and I’m a very fast typist) and just annoy me and make me not do as well.
With mirrors properly adjusted, as a passing vehicle is leaving the field of the rearview mirror it is entering the field of the side mirror, and then as it is leaving the field of the side mirror it is entering the field of the driver’s peripheral vision. The blind spot is eliminated (except perhaps when being passed by a little toy like a smart car). The driver’s own vehicle is not visible in the driver’s side mirror, and may not be visible in the passenger side mirror. It is far more valuable to have a mirror indicate the presence (and to some degree the location) of a passing car than to have it reflect the driver’s own car, assuming the driver is smart enough to know where his car is.
Here’s a prior poll, for more data points. “I cover my blind spots and can’t see the sides of my car.”, 66.07%. “I have to see the sides of my car,” 27.68%. “I point my mirrors up at the sky,” 6.25%
If you go fast enough, all danger comes at you from the front.
I’m not sure which poll option to pick, but IMO, proper adjustment of side mirrors entails setting them so that the edge nearest the car bodywork contains the view of the merest sliver of the car*, extending outward from there.
i.e. so that the mirror can be used to determine whether the car is clearing any obstacles when reversing. This also happens to afford a good view of any vehicles approaching/overtaking, but not a perfect view, so at certain times (for example when changing lanes), it is necessary to clear the blind spot by turning the head and looking back.
Edited to add qualifier:
*I don’t want to see the car bodywork in the mirror - that is, I don’t want any of the useful space filled with a view of painted metal, but I do need to use the mirror to confirm that things I see in the mirror are not about to intersect the same bit of space occupied by the car - therefore, the car bodywork does need to intrude slightly into view in the mirror - only slightly.
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:3, topic:655273”]
If adjusted properly, there should be little overlap between your side mirrors and center mirror, thus maximizing field of view.
[/QUOTE]
This.
Add small disc mirrors to widen the view.
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:3, topic:655273”]
If adjusted properly, there should be little overlap between your side mirrors and center mirror, thus maximizing field of view.
[/QUOTE]
And you should see very little of your own car, for the same reason. You don’t need to see your whole side in order to be able to park.
The above is the best explanation of the best answer. I would add that if you don’t do this, then each time you change lanes, you must first whip your head around to check your blind spot, taking your eyes off the road in front of you for a moment.
A side mirror properly set for multi-lane driving should be of no use at all when backing out the driveway.
You don’t need to see 100% of the other vehicle, just 100% of your blind spot (which the mirror will cover).
In other words, you’d never say “Oh, that’s just a headlight and a hood ornament in my blind spot, I can easily win that fight.”