I just learnt to drive 2 months ago, at the late age of 41! I bought a new car last month and the odometer on my car still shows less than 1000km. That's actually how much I have driven on my own all my life!

I nearly ran into another car on the expressway yesterday, while I was changing lanes at the speed of 100km/h. I just didn't see that car at all, despite the fact that I had installed a 300cm rear-view mirror just last week. I have been desperately looking for a 'bigger' mirror on the net when I chanced upon this article.

Thanks a lot, bro! I live in a 3rd world country where driving instructions are quite backward and hundreds of people die on the roads every week, especially during festive seasons. Although I took all the required driving instructions and tests and read all the required driving manuals, motor guides, maps, etc; I have never came across such simple, yet highly effective guide on adjusting your mirrors correctly before.

James Wong,
Malaysia

I have been using this mirror adjustment for a couple of years and teaching it & I'll never go back to the old ineffective way of adjusting mirrors. Generally speaking, most drivers are pretty ho-hum when it comes to driving skills & don't like to change their old bad habits. Most drivers who have taken some performance driving courses or accident avoidance courses are taught this method of adjusting mirros. If it doesn't work for you, then you are probably just not used to it, but for MOST vehicles, there is a way to eliminate all or most of this "blind spot". If your rear view mirror is obscured by something in your vehicle, then you could still use this adjustment, but you would need to move your head to see directly behind you, like a truck driver who can not see directly behind might. Obiously there are people who don't like it, but those might be the same people who adjust their driving position so that their arms are outstretched to reach the steering wheel, there is a "proper" driving position taught as well, although many less enlightened driving instructors still teach the old 10 & 2 hand position on the wheel, where it should be 9 & 3. This goes right along with high aim vision, & if you don't know what that is, it is another skillyou can learn to give you an extra second or so to react to a situation. People don't just make this stuff up on a whim, it is taken from much research & it is only a deviation from what is taught in low end driving schools which still teach outdated driving style and bad habits. Keep an open mind & try it for a while, you will get used to it, and if it is just too odd for you, try moving the mirrors out just a bit more than normal for a while, get used to that, then move them out a bit more when you build some trust in what you can see.

I tried this out for a few months but i went back to the traditional way of adjusting my mirrors. I agree that this is a good way to adjust your mirrors but you can only take advantage of it in specific road conditions. I drive in areas where there are a lot of single or two lane roads, which means the car in the other lane is going the opposite direction and you do not need a mirror to see him, I do not normally pass a multi-lane road to use the benefits of this type of adjustment. Another thing, I make a lot of short drives and parallel park and/or park in reverse several times a day, I found out that with my mirrors adjusted this way, you can't use your mirrors to park effectively. Some people might say that you spend more time driving forward than reverse, but in my case the time i spend driving forward would not need this type of mirror adjustment.

I just shat my pants

I started using this technique about two years ago, have gotten used to not having the side of my car as a visual reference, trust the perspective, and like it. I then set about trying to duplicate this technique with my motorcycle mirrors. My M/C mirrors are limited in their full out position, probably by the manufacturer on purpose. However, with them full out, they do take in much more side area, which is great and a boon to my safety. But, unfortunately, this position on M/C side mirrors also removes a good look directly behind. You'd think a motorcyclist wouldn't have to look directly behind, especially as fast as you usually see us trying to travel these days. However, the motorcyclist is concerned about traffic stopping (or not stopping) behind him at controlled intersections and during panic stops, which he/she has been taught to mitigate by keeping a close eye on traffic bearing down on them in these situations. And, when traveling in teams, groups, or gangs; it is nice to see the bike behind you to help judge group speed. But, with a little practice, you can move your head around enough to get a glimpse directly downwind... Thanks for your post on the internet as a source for this topic. Now if people would just quit using their hands on their cell phones and to eat cheeseburgers while they drive.

I just sent this link to all my close friends. I've been adjusting my mirrors similar to this for over 10 years, but never found an online guide that explained it so well - thx Kris.

Also, people need to realize that each car is a bit different, and you may need to slightly modify this method accordingly. When I drive a small/midsize car, like my Acura, I adjust the mirrors just like Kris explains above. When I drive the Suburban, I adjust the mirrors in a similar fasion, but also have to tilt them down a bit and slightly change how far out they are to get the best overall "coverage". I found that even in a big SUV like a suburban, I can adjust the mirrors like this and see cars come into what was previously the blind spot. Its quite usefull and makes driving that giant thing much easier than before.

Your right about the mirrors. My sister works for the forest service and when they gave them a training session on different driving subjects, they taught them how to set their mirrors on the forest service vehicles and this is the way they taught them to do it.

If you like to weave in and out of traffic playin the game of inches, I agree with this guy. I tried to explain this to a lot of people. here is my perspective. have your buddy put his front bumper about a foot away from your back bumper, as if he was in the right lane and your in the left. adjust your mirrors so you feel comfortable that if the jack ass in front of you pisses you off or goin to slow, that you know the view picture and car size (of the guy on your right) in your mirror so you kno when to cut off the guy in the right lane w/o hittin him. plus skill helps too doin this move. do the same for the left mirror too.

I'm always happy to improve my driving skills, but I don't think I'll be using this mirror placement. Unfortunately, it does not take into account all rear view mirror blind spots. I tried it our yesterday and found a few problems. (D Kong was correct) • You can not see the curb when parallel parking. Well not in relation to your back wheel anyway... • You can not see any low objects when reversing. When you have your mirrors in the traditional way, you get to see more of the low objects behind you that the boot blocks in your rear view mirror. This can also include children/pets in the driveway (esp. if you have a 4WD). You can see if something is just behind your back wheels (which you can'[t see by turning your head). I find that I use use all of my mirrors when I am reversing, as I can't see my letterbox in the rear view mirror when swinging out of the driveway. • When you are in a stacked lane of traffic and wish to pull into the other lane, you can not see down the other lane. If you have a lot of traffic close behind you (Esp. a truck) when moving slowly or you are stopped, the traditional mirror placement allows you to see parallel to the car, down the adjacent lane of traffic. This way you can see anything that is coming from a long distance away. This proposed mirror placement restricts your view to the immediate vicinity and you can not see any incoming traffic. The proposed placement did provide a better view when changing into the center lane of three. Bill probably has the right idea. When setting the right mirror, lean right and then set it so that you can see your back door handle. Same idea for the left. This will give you a slightly wider view (as per the suggestion) but also allow you to use your mirrors "old school" when required. I give a thumbs up to the stick on blind spot mirrors. These mirrors are pretty much compulsory on trucks, as the blind spots get worse with length. It is the only solution that does not put you at more risk. It would be best to have them located above or below the wing mirror though, as you have a small enough area to play with already...

Nice clear explanation and excellent pictures for clarification and reinforcement....Thanks

This is an excellent way to adjust mirrors. I have used this method for about 30 years myself. Many people won't use it because it doesn't "feel right" and they don't understant the logic behind it. If you yave your mirrors set correctly you will never loose sight of the vehicle that you are passing or are being passed by. You will see them directly 90 degrees to your side. From there you will see them in the side mirror. Before you loose them in your side mirror, you will pick them up in the rear veiw mirror.

The only time I have ay difficulty is when ther is a curve in the road. This may cause you to loose the vehicle on your side.

ggHey, love the article, I have seen this on the news 10 years ago and I've ajusted my mirrors like that ever since. I takes a while to get use to but it helps a lot. For all those people who say well i might back into a child, well you probably drive on the streets and highways everyday as appose to backing into a child playing on he street. When you know most kids every day are the house playing on the computer or nintendo. So odds whise ill adjust my mirrors out thank you.

thanks Ry

you suggest that we can see what is beside us with peripheral vision when we are looking straight ahead. so when i turn my head 45° to 55° to the right to look at my side mirror, my peripheral vision still lets me see what is up to 90° past that or simply what might be in my blindspot... i'm having a hard time understanding why you took up so much of your own time for this explanation. maybe because i was taught to check both (the mirror and what i can see by moving my eyes just a lil bit) at all times when using my side mirrors.. idk. if it helps some people who dont practice good sense, then this would help them i guess.. p.s. yes i use that email address. and yes it is real, and no i'm not trying to be a d*ck.

As a former driving instructor and ex truck driver I must inform you that, while I understand what you are trying to do, it is not the correct (nor road legal) way to adjust your wing mirrors in most countries. Ideally you should be just about able to see the door handle of your back seats in each mirror. This is for two reasons, both of which are to do with reversing. Firstly it allows you to park level to the curb etc and secondly it gives you a better sense of any low objects (such as a small child) that you may be reversing towards. US/Canada wing mirrors are not convex like European/asian mirrors so you should instead consider using an adhesive blind spot mirror. Ultimatly when I moved to Canada (from the UK) I changed the glass in my wing mirrors for this very reason. It is unsafe to use non-convex mirrors in wing mirrors, but its equally unsafe to have your mirrors adjusted incorrectly. Unless you have a blind spot mirror you should continue to look over your sholder (like you were tought in drivers ed) when changing lanes.

I adjusted my mirrors according to your guide yesterday and I can already tell that it definitley helps a lot. I think that my driver side mirror may be set too wide though because I can see the further half of the lane right next to me, as well as the two lanes of traffic on the opposite side of a four-lane highway. What do you think?

I am learning driving and I never understood completely how to adjust mirrors perfectly but after seeing your presentation. Great. I actually know how to do it now. Thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Great presentation