# Will they ever cure the right blind side of a car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832 "2011-05-31T09:23:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/21 "2011-05-31T17:33:52Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > 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… … And be sure to turn your head and look over your shoulder before merging. ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/22 "2011-05-31T17:40:24Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > … And be sure to turn your head and look over your shoulder before merging. This is how my dad taught me to drive. Before changing lanes or merging I turn my head and look to see if there is a car in the way. Isn’t this obvious? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/23 "2011-05-31T18:11:32Z")
Years ago I had a van with large enough normal side mirrors that also had a round parabolic mirror attached to them. It only took a few weeks of driving before I realized that I was relying on those parabolic mirrors for all of the rear view information. Once I became used to deciphering the image I could, at a glance, see everything behind me and next to me with no blind spots. The “normal” mirrors were only useful to the few friends that I occasionally lent the van. I sometimes wish that the mirrors on my car were bigger. I’d buy those parabolic mirrors and glue them on. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/24 "2011-05-31T18:29:01Z")
If you adjust the mirrors properly, there is no blind spot\*. However, it’s still worth it to to look, since you may only find out your mirrors were improperly adjusted when you get hit by a semi doing 80. My personal strategy is to always be traveling faster than other traffic. That makes it much easier to know where the other cars are - they’re all behind me, and becoming moreso. - unless your car sucks ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/25 "2011-05-31T18:39:26Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > My personal strategy is to always be traveling faster than other traffic. That makes it much easier to know where the other cars are - they’re all behind me, and becoming moreso. This is especially true on a motorcycle. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/26 "2011-06-01T03:40:11Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Years ago I had a van with large enough normal side mirrors that also had a round parabolic mirror attached to them. It only took a few weeks of driving before I realized that I was relying on those parabolic mirrors for all of the rear view information. > > Once I became used to deciphering the image I could, at a glance, see everything behind me and next to me with no blind spots. The “normal” mirrors were only useful to the few friends that I occasionally lent the van. > > I sometimes wish that the mirrors on my car were bigger. I’d buy those parabolic mirrors and glue them on. You can buy little 3-inch curved/fisheye mirrors that have sticky tape on them and pop them onto your regular mirrors. I did that, no more blind spots. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/27 "2011-06-01T03:57:39Z")
OK, I have been driving GM products since 1981, and they have all come with the wide angle convex mirrors on the right. Aren’t they standard equipment? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/28 "2011-06-01T04:03:23Z")
I checked. They were called “wink” mirrors. Check out Mr Greenbergs review at the bottom of the link below. I do highly suspect he is a pissed off curmudeon driver. > **[Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Rally Panoramic 5-Panel Rearview Mirror, Easy...](https://www.amazon.com/Rally-Panoramic-5-Panel-Rearview-91515/product-reviews/B000CPIH1C)** > > Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Rally Panoramic 5-Panel Rearview Mirror, Easy Installation, Fits all Cars, SUVs, Trucks and Vans (91515) at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/29 "2011-06-01T04:03:40Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > Before changing lanes or merging I turn my head and look to see if there is a car in the way. Isn’t this obvious? Yep - it’s certainly what was drilled into me in Driver’s Ed, and what I’ve always done since (do they even have such a thing in public schools anymore??) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/30 "2011-06-01T04:06:17Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > If you adjust the mirrors properly, there is no blind spot\*. > > - unless your car sucks Absolutely true. My Ford F250 truck has no blind spots–although I still make a point of looking at rearview and side mirrors and then looking out the window before merging. My wife’s Chevy HHR, however, has massive blind spots. Perhaps shorter people wouldn’t experience them, but I can’t even see the road when making a right turn going uphill because the mirror blocks it. I have to duck to see under it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/31 "2011-06-01T04:20:04Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > 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. Same here. With mirrors set up correctly on most vehicles I have driven, there’s nary a blind spot with normally sized lanes. I still take a quick peek peripherally just to make sure, but never look completely over my shoulder unless I’m merging or there are two lanes. To me, it feels safer not to completely lose track momentarily of what’s going on in front of me. This set-up does taking some getting used to, and not everyone seems to be able to figure out what they’re looking at. Basically, what should be happening is the instant a car in an adjacent lane starts leaving the rearview mirror’s coverage, it should be entering your side view mirror. In other words, the image in the side view mirror + the image in the rearview mirror should total one car. So, if three-quarters of the car in showing in the rear, the remaining quarter should be in the side. That maximizes the total amount of visual information displayed by the mirrors. By the time the car starts leaving the side view mirror, he should be pretty much exactly alongside you and visible through the window as you look at the side mirrors. A quick sideward glance in the periphery will have you looking far enough back to make certain. The only times I have my mirrors set to anything but this arrangement is if I’m driving a vehicle with no rear window whatsoever. Then, I set my mirrors so I could see the sides of my vehicle and what is behind me. In that case, I will look over my shoulders very carefully to check whether or not it’s safe to merge. However, I find driving vehicles without rearview mirrors quite a bit more stressful. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/32 "2011-06-01T04:29:49Z")
As a warning for those who have some form of “blind spot detector” they should be considered additional information and are not safe as a replacement for turning your head. I have noticed that mix in a slightly dirty car that sometimes a motorcycle that is in the far side of the lane beside you will not trigger the system. Also although the system seems quite good at noting a blocked sensor it is not clear that it will mark a sensor as bad if the transmitting or receiving antenna is damaged in a way that makes the the space look empty. It is a wonderful add-on information to good driving technique and I dread driving anything without it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/33 "2011-06-01T04:43:36Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > 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. Amen. Preach it! There is no substitute for driving correctly. I have a wide angle mirror too, and that has saved me from idiots who don’t look when they change lanes. That is, they don’t appear to look in front of them. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/34 "2011-06-01T12:59:36Z")
Often when I am changing lanes, it is crowded, and I dare not take my eyes off the car in front. I am ofter trying to escape an overcrowded lane that is slowing. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/35 "2011-06-01T13:09:25Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Often when I am changing lanes, it is crowded, and I dare not take my eyes off the car in front. I am ofter trying to escape an overcrowded lane that is slowing. I’ll be the first to admit that I often follow to close to the car ahead, but if you are so close that you can’t glance over your shoulder to make sure the lane is clear before you change lanes, you are doing something wrong. This is simple people, look before you change lanes. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/36 "2011-06-02T11:43:42Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KuNILGDplg) short video demonstrates one of several electronic systems being developed to alert drivers to traffic in the blind spot. What a great invention! Wish I had one on my car. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/37 "2011-06-02T14:40:15Z")
The last thing we need are more electronics to do the job simple mechanical devices do well. Learn to adjust your mirrors. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/38 "2011-06-04T02:02:11Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > My personal strategy is to always be traveling faster than other traffic. That makes it much easier to know where the other cars are - they’re all behind me, and becoming moreso. It sounds like you subscribe to the [first rule of Italian driving](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjGXn249Fc0). ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/39 "2011-06-05T08:29:06Z")
I use these: > **[multivexmirror.net](http://www1.multivexmirror.net?backfill=0&domainname=0&searchbox=0&subid4=64d1bd0a37b9ef6faccd2f8a)** > > Blind Spot Side Mirror,Replacement Side Mirror,Convex Mirror,Blind Spot Rear View Mirror,Mirror Glass Replacement,Replace Wing Mirror Glass,Toyota FJ Cruiser,Rear View Mirror Covers,Toyota Rear View Mirror,Auto Mirror They are pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832/40 "2011-06-05T12:08:04Z")
An area I travel in sometimes has built a number of roundabouts, even ‘‘double barreled’’ ones at the exits to 4 lane roads. With traffic coming at you from the right and left and never knowing when the car in front of you will stop, you had better have your mirrors set so you can see to the sides without ever looking away from the front. The round abouts work great in light traffic, but are a nightmare in heavy traffic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-ever-cure-the-right-blind-side-of-a-car/583832.md?page=3)