Why YSK: The side mirrors on a car are not for looking directly back behind the car. They should be angled out a little from the car to check your blindspots.
I’ve always figured you should have it with just enough of the side of your car to use it as a reference point to know how far away something is from me.
It kinda baffles me that people would set their mirrors where >10% is their own car. What do they think the point of their mirrors is?
Could you please add a “Why YSK:”? It’s rule #2. Thank you. :)
Done, thanks. =)
Good post! It may seem obvious to some but sometimes bad habits get handed down especially from parents/borrowing cars.
Got to admit, I had the sidemirrors closer in to the car before seeing a video like this.
It made such a difference and also made driving less stressful, because I could now see the blindspot better.
Thanks for sharing. So many people don’t realize this and leave the side view mirrors where it feels comfortable rather than where it is effective.
It seems like the logical thing to do, but when I first started driving I had no idea how the side mirrors had to be adjusted. I eventually decided that I should at least have it angled to see the other lanes for when I wanted to merge. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that the side mirrors could and should be used to check the back of the car as well.
You don’t really need to see the back of your car, i mean you can ask why but i don’t really know.
It’s to decrease the blindspots, not fully check them. You should still do over the shoulder checks as well.
I set them slightly in, so I see the sides of my car. They offer enough view to eliminate my blind spots, as when the car leaves the mirror it’s already visible in my side window.
What helps is that I drive a '03 Volvo S80, with at least some considiration to all-round visibility. (A lot less then the '80s 700 series)
I see you don’t parallel park much.
