Blind Spot Check
Discussion
When I started driving 30 odd years ago, I mainly had work vans for the first few years. Morris Marina van, Mk1 Fiesta van, Escort van and a Transit. You then become reliant on your mirrors and learn to trust them. Checking your blind spot by turning your head is not an option...all you’ll see is a metal panel. I’m guessing this is why I now never check over my shoulder.
I think with properly adjusted mirrors and a lot of awareness it’s not really necessary. Otherwise you’d see vans crashing all of the time.
I think with properly adjusted mirrors and a lot of awareness it’s not really necessary. Otherwise you’d see vans crashing all of the time.
TooMany2cvs said:
sparkythecat said:
Interesting that you mention Volvo. I've just done a long trip with my mate in his Volvo XC60 which has a blind spot alert system built into it. If there is something moving in your blind spot an orange light flashes on the relevant door mirror fixing inside the car.
Lots of modern stuff does - you can see it as you pass 'em on the m'way.It's often surprising as to what does and what doesn't.
4 pages in and it looks like I will have to be the first....
...I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
...I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
Conrod Straight said:
4 pages in and it looks like I will have to be the first....
...I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
You've completely overlooked several classes of road user by only mentioning 'cars' - perhaps they're in your mental blind spot....I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
Krikkit said:
I do both, but it's easy to have a quick glance. I should get into the habit on single carriageways before overtaking as well, but I've never encountered anyone that gets there before me without being noticed.
It's motorbikes you need to be on the lookout for here as they're a lot faster than you. They could pull out and overtake from a vehicle behind and go to overtake and you could end up pulling out into them as they pass due to your negligence. There is no reason not to be checking your blind spots. Conrod Straight said:
4 pages in and it looks like I will have to be the first....
...I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
I have my mirrors set up this way, but do a shoulder check to be sure. I like to be 100% after almost collecting an Alfa when changing lanes once....I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
Always turn my head too,again from experience of once collecting a 206 when I hadn't long passed my test.
Also a while ago on the M40, Checked my mirrors, nothing there, indicated and went to check again and pull out, and got flashed. By a car with the entire drivers side of their car in complete darkness until he flashed his main beam, dick. My mirrors would have only seen his drivers side lights. I have my mirrors adjusted a bit better now so that doesn't happen again,but still check
But I'm the sort of person who, if I need to move from l1 to l2, and there's a car quite close in L2 will just hang back and wait for that car to pass, then pull out. Even if that car can move into L3 to let me out. Just don't like forcing cars to move, unless it's an emergency etc/some idiot doing 46mph in an empty L1
I was also taught and still generally do to only pull back in if you can see the whole vehicle you have just passed in the rear view mirror. Exceptions happen now I've been driving a few years but generally I wait for both headlights to appear before moving back in.
Also a while ago on the M40, Checked my mirrors, nothing there, indicated and went to check again and pull out, and got flashed. By a car with the entire drivers side of their car in complete darkness until he flashed his main beam, dick. My mirrors would have only seen his drivers side lights. I have my mirrors adjusted a bit better now so that doesn't happen again,but still check
But I'm the sort of person who, if I need to move from l1 to l2, and there's a car quite close in L2 will just hang back and wait for that car to pass, then pull out. Even if that car can move into L3 to let me out. Just don't like forcing cars to move, unless it's an emergency etc/some idiot doing 46mph in an empty L1
I was also taught and still generally do to only pull back in if you can see the whole vehicle you have just passed in the rear view mirror. Exceptions happen now I've been driving a few years but generally I wait for both headlights to appear before moving back in.
Riley Blue said:
Conrod Straight said:
4 pages in and it looks like I will have to be the first....
...I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
You've completely overlooked several classes of road user by only mentioning 'cars' - perhaps they're in your mental blind spot....I haven't checked my blind spot for a decade or more, ever since taking a driving course. The instructor, who teaches Highway Patrol, claimed there is no such thing as a blind spot IF your mirrors are set correctly.
Pushing the side mirrors out pretty much as far as they go gives you an uninterupted view behind and to the side of you in combination with the rear view mirror. Having side mirrors that simply reproduce the rear vision mirror is pretty pointless isn't it?
The idea is a car in the distance is in the rear view mirror, as they get closer they appear in the side mirrors, and once they leave those they appear in your peripheral vision by your side. There's no time the car disappears from view.
I drove for years in peak hour traffic on the busiest multi lane roads in Sydney and never once had anything resembling a near miss. When I used to shoulder check, I certainly had a few misses running up the back of people though.
This is a better explanation than mine https://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjus...
Get a pedestrian to walk a 360 around your car and not once will they disappear into any 'blind spot'. I don't care if they're on a bike, a truck or a pair of roller skates, they remain in vision.
corozin said:
I'm slightly surprised at the question, as this is a basic driving skill which anyone with a licence would not only have been taught, but also examined on when they took thier test !
This is true, but you know what? When I started learning, right up to and including my test, I had no idea what a blind spot/lifesaver look was. My instructor, who I assumed must've been fairly decent, never actually ever explained to me what it was, or what it was for. It was just assumed that I knew, so when he told me to do it I'd simply turn my head to the right and then carry on with whatever manoeuver it was I was attempting to carry out. This went on through all my lessons, and I did the exact same thing in my test: Just turn my head to the right without actually looking at anything, and then carrying on as normal.
Utterly terrifying really. Looking back I should've asked, but I wasn't the most confident person back then. Rubbish excuse, I know. Oddly it was on the drive home alone from the test centre after passing (took the test in my own car, dropped my supervising passenger off post-test) that it suddenly clicked as I felt incredibly paranoid on that first solo drive. I started looking round everywhere at everything and then boom! It hit me as to what it actually was I was supposed to be looking at
That was a good 16 years ago now, and I've consistently carried out that lifesaver look properly ever since.
A couple of bad mistakes I'm seeing more frequently nowadays:
Car traveling along a slip road to join a motorway or dc, driver intently looking in mirrors but doesn't look around elsewhere. Car joins lane 1, driver wants to move straight into lane 2 and is still intently looking in door mirror, and then almost runs slap into the car already established in lane 2 because he didn't look through his window.
Another one is on 3 lane roads, cars in lanes 1 and 3 both elect to move into lane 2 at the same time, and nearly hit each other because they're both intently staring to see what's behind them but don't actually look where they're going.
Car traveling along a slip road to join a motorway or dc, driver intently looking in mirrors but doesn't look around elsewhere. Car joins lane 1, driver wants to move straight into lane 2 and is still intently looking in door mirror, and then almost runs slap into the car already established in lane 2 because he didn't look through his window.
Another one is on 3 lane roads, cars in lanes 1 and 3 both elect to move into lane 2 at the same time, and nearly hit each other because they're both intently staring to see what's behind them but don't actually look where they're going.
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