Let’s just say I almost got clipped twice because I didn’t snap my head to the right when entering the slow lane.
People say the same thing over and over. In your normal sitting position, bend your body forward and look at the right side mirror. Adjust so that you can see the lower edge of the chassis…
This short video demonstrates one of several electronic systems being developed to alert drivers to traffic in the blind spot.
Blind spot mirrors are starting to become common standard equipment in new cars. Mine has 'em, and they really do work well, though it took a bit of adjustment to get in the habit of checking an additional mirror during lane changes. With 'em, there’s no blind spot large enough to hide a car, though there’s still a sliver of a blind spot that can hide something like a bicycle.
A better solution to the right-side blind spot is having good awareness of what’s going on around the car at all times, and allowing your car to coast/slow down a bit before making any lane changes. I usually check my right mirror at least 30 seconds prior to changing lanes, identify a hole in traffic, let people pass me at a slightly higher rate of speed until the hole is next to me, and plan to merge well-before I actually do it. And it’s still a good idea to do the last-second head-flip. Never been clipped.
I think the Brits and the Japanese have solved it.
This is how I was taught how to set my mirrors. For most vehicles (or at least all the ones I’ve driven), you CAN adjust your mirrors so that cars in the other lanes seamlessly traverse from your rear view mirror to your side mirrors to outside of your window.
The best way to set and test these is on the interstate since it tends to be more steady-state and most cars are slowly passing you. Keep adjusting the mirrors until there are no more large blind spots.
My car has a system like the one shown in lazybratsche’s video. When someone is in my blind spot, a yellow light on the mirror lights up. If I signal as if I’m going to change lanes, the light starts rapidly flashing. It is very useful, but I don’t rely on it. I still check visually before changing lanes. I don’t know if I would ever completely trust technology in a case like this.
Quit pushing your leftist agendas man! 
I had a old VW fastback. I got this aftermarket rearview mirror, called a “wink” mirror IIRC. The thing was something like 3 feet long. Looking at it you could could see out the back AND out the side windows as well. Worked pretty good, but it was actually rather distracting because you could see too much going on. Hmmm, maybe I should dig that thing out and put in our new jeep. I’m finding the mirror system in it a bit lacking.
Try setting your mirrors so you can’t see the side of the car (as in Cartalk link above). It may take some time to get used to the new view, but after a while you’ll notice that you now get useful information from that mirror. Keep in mind that if there are 2 lanes over there to your right, you’ll still need the head-check (look over shoulder).
Why not? I don’t care how well you adjust your mirrors or what new-fangled electronic gizmos you have on your car, you still have to turn your head and actually look.
Brit here, but I’m a little confused about why this thread has a “handedness” at all.
As a vehicle passes me on either side it disappears from my mirrors for a couple of seconds immediately before it enters the view of my direct vision.
The blind spot is probably bigger on the left side (right side for you), but the problem is not unique to one side.
Sounds similar to what I do: I look at the car behind me in the other lane, and I also check to see the car that’s behind him. Then I let the front car pass me, and make sure that the other car is still far behind. Then I switch lanes very slowly, just in case a car from two lanes over is aiming for the same space that I was, we’ll see each other in plenty of time.
What I thought of because of Johnny L.A. -
I’ve seen British and Japanese cars with their side mirrors mounted forward on the front fenders. Does that help with the blind spot or just move it?
Personally, I’ve only seen this on older cars. ISTR seeing some Japanese cars with ‘wing mirrors’ on both sides. I suspect that the offside mirror was mounted forward to provide a wider field of view in the days before convex mirrors. That’s just a guess, though.
As for blind spots, I use ‘SMOG’ – Signal, Mirror, (look) Over (the shoulder), Go. Only I usually do MOSMOG. I also strive to maintain situational awareness. I like to know where people are around me, and know what they’re doing. I check all three mirrors and look from side to side frequently while I’m driving. I’m surprised at how many people appear not to have functional necks.
In other words, you almost hit two cars because you didn’t look.
When I was younger, I did mount mirrors on the fender on a couple of cars. Since they have gone to the convex mirrors on the right, I have no trouble adjusting door mounted mirrors so a car coming up on either side goes from the inside mirror, to both it and the side mirror, the side mirror, and the side mirror and the corner of my eye. I really don’t see why people have blind spot problems.
To reiterate, he and they nearly collided as a result of his failure to notice them.
Right-hand drive (i.e., left-hand side of the road). Different blind spot.
Trucks and vans have been getting asplit mirror that consists of a regular mirror on top and an independent curved mirror on the bottom.
