Americans Are Not Adjusting Their Car Mirrors Properly

[ocean515]

Americans Are Not Adjusting Their Car Mirrors Properly

For whatever reason, Americans love making sure they can’t see out of their cars. People in other countries probably do the same thing, but any time I’ve been out of the country, how drivers adjust their mirrors has been the last thought on my mind.

While you’re driving down the road, the side of your car isn’t going to magically disappear. Despite supposedly developing object permanence at age 2, American drivers are constantly terrified that the sides of their cars are going to disappear if not constantly monitored. To help assuage this fear, they set their side-view mirrors to help them watch and make sure their cars haven’t magically opened up into sideless wonders at some point.

Side-view mirrors are on the side of your car, yes, but they’re actually intended for viewing what’s beside your vehicle, not the sides of your vehicle itself.​

So, how do you have your mirrors adjusted?

 

[Dittohead not!]

I'm not so much concerned with the drivers who don't know whether there is a car behind or beside them, as the ones who don't care.

Hey, I'm coming over! Get out of my way!

 

[spud_meister]

I keep the side of my car in the bottom corner of the mirror so I have a reference point to help judge distance.

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

I am just tickled pink that we put the steering wheel on the correct side of the car.:mrgreen:

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Here's how I adjust mine:

Port mirror, adjusted so that I barely see the side of my car, and so that the ground is just visible in the lower edge of the mirror. I may tweak the height a bit, as I am driving, to make sure I get the best view of the road and traffic on that side.



Starboard mirror, adjusted similarly:



Inside mirror, adjusted so that the view is framed by my rear window. The silly spoiler on the back of my car, it turns out, serves a useful purpose in that it allows me to see where the back end of my car is. My previous car was very similar to this one, but didn't have that spoiler, and that turned out to be a problem, some times, not being able to tell where the back of the car was relative to other things I saw in the mirror.

 

[Serenity]

I am just tickled pink that we put the steering wheel on the correct side of the car.:mrgreen:

The side of the car to better enable you to drive on the wrong side of the road you mean! :mrgreen:

Still, never mind, if you come visit us here we're friendly enough and we have signs here to remind you how to drive correctly.

 

[Summerwind]

Americans Are Not Adjusting Their Car Mirrors Properly

For whatever reason, Americans love making sure they can’t see out of their cars. People in other countries probably do the same thing, but any time I’ve been out of the country, how drivers adjust their mirrors has been the last thought on my mind.

While you’re driving down the road, the side of your car isn’t going to magically disappear. Despite supposedly developing object permanence at age 2, American drivers are constantly terrified that the sides of their cars are going to disappear if not constantly monitored. To help assuage this fear, they set their side-view mirrors to help them watch and make sure their cars haven’t magically opened up into sideless wonders at some point.

Side-view mirrors are on the side of your car, yes, but they’re actually intended for viewing what’s beside your vehicle, not the sides of your vehicle itself.​

So, how do you have your mirrors adjusted?

I always set mine so I can just see the side of my car barely. It gives reference to how close the car beside is, or will be on those times when an idiot without signaling tries to grab the slot you were signaling changing lanes into. I actually don't know too many that don't see the cars in the side mirror. However I do know that people who get in to drive my car have to adjust all the mirrors, so I'm wondering how one person can necessarily judge what any other person is seeing in the rearview or side mirrors.

 

[ocean515]

I always set mine so I can just see the side of my car barely. It gives reference to how close the car beside is, or will be on those times when an idiot without signaling tries to grab the slot you were signaling changing lanes into. I actually don't know too many that don't see the cars in the side mirror. However I do know that people who get in to drive my car have to adjust all the mirrors, so I'm wondering how one person can necessarily judge what any other person is seeing in the rearview or side mirrors.

I think the key is to adjust the mirrors to eliminate, or at the very least, minimize, any blind spots on either side of the car. Usually a simple tilt of the head can help locate the side of the car.

 

[Reformedfindlay]

Here's how I adjust mine:

Port mirror, adjusted so that I barely see the side of my car, and so that the ground is just visible in the lower edge of the mirror. I may tweak the height a bit, as I am driving, to make sure I get the best view of the road and traffic on that side.

View attachment 67184189

Starboard mirror, adjusted similarly:

View attachment 67184190

Inside mirror, adjusted so that the view is framed by my rear window. The silly spoiler on the back of my car, it turns out, serves a useful purpose in that it allows me to see where the back end of my car is. My previous car was very similar to this one, but didn't have that spoiler, and that turned out to be a problem, some times, not being able to tell where the back of the car was relative to other things I saw in the mirror.

View attachment 67184191

Giving responsibility a new meaning!

 

[Dittohead not!]

The side of the car to better enable you to drive on the wrong side of the road you mean! :mrgreen:

Still, never mind, if you come visit us here we're friendly enough and we have signs here to remind you how to drive correctly.

We need signs like that in America as well, but saying that we drive on the right and not in the freaking middle of the road, particularly on blind corners.

But, our drivers would no doubt ignore them anyway.

 

[radcen]

Why would I care what's going on behind me? :shrug:

 

[Dittohead not!]

Why would I care what's going on behind me? :shrug:

I think that's what the driver I followed up into the mountains the other day must have thought, the one that had 20 cars behind him and passed every turnout.

 

[EdwinWillers]

Americans Are Not Adjusting Their Car Mirrors Properly

For whatever reason, Americans love making sure they can’t see out of their cars. People in other countries probably do the same thing, but any time I’ve been out of the country, how drivers adjust their mirrors has been the last thought on my mind.

While you’re driving down the road, the side of your car isn’t going to magically disappear. Despite supposedly developing object permanence at age 2, American drivers are constantly terrified that the sides of their cars are going to disappear if not constantly monitored. To help assuage this fear, they set their side-view mirrors to help them watch and make sure their cars haven’t magically opened up into sideless wonders at some point.

Side-view mirrors are on the side of your car, yes, but they’re actually intended for viewing what’s beside your vehicle, not the sides of your vehicle itself.​

So, how do you have your mirrors adjusted?

A couple small blindspot mirrors affixed to passenger and driver side mirrors solves most problems - and they cost about $4.00.

 

[humbolt]

I was advised by the VA State Police that it would be necessary for me to have an interior rear view mirror in my panel van that has no rear windows. Makes perfect sense, and I use it all the time. The insides of the rear doors look fantastic.

 

[Dittohead not!]

I was advised by the VA State Police that it would be necessary for me to have an interior rear view mirror in my panel van that has no rear windows. Makes perfect sense, and I use it all the time. The insides of the rear doors look fantastic.

There's no reason for it. It's a government regulation.