Poor view

[PracticingHuman]

Reduce? Sorry, but it eliminates ALL blind spots with cars in other lanes. And, it's much safer than turning your head back which is very dangerous as your eyes are no longer watching ahead. In that split second that you turn your head, you could rear end someone that has unexpectedly slowed, cut in front of you, or stopped. Experts on safety will tell you just what I've said. Use your rear view mirror until the car/s disappear, then your side view mirrors. If you set them correctly (as planet/Ray has posted), this is the safest way to drive.

adjusting the side view mirrors to eliminate blind spots to the rear is highly recommended among several law enforcement agencies. most people tend to focus on areas that are already covered by the rear view mirror.

when adjusted properly, the overlapping view from rear to side mirrors should be pretty small. when you can see a car overtaking you in both mirrors more than a few seconds, that means the side view mirrors need to be adjusted further out

Dang! That wasn't something they taught me in driver's ed 30 years ago! I'll have to admit... it will be awfully difficult to change the head check habit after 30 years of driving. Maybe I'll ask my wife what she does. She's a better and safer (and faster) driver than me and I consider myself pretty safe.

 

[Nubo]

Reduce? Sorry, but it eliminates ALL blind spots with cars in other lanes. And, it's much safer than turning your head back which is very dangerous as your eyes are no longer watching ahead. In that split second that you turn your head, you could rear end someone that has unexpectedly slowed, cut in front of you, or stopped. Experts on safety will tell you just what I've said. Use your rear view mirror until the car/s disappear, then your side view mirrors. If you set them correctly (as planet/Ray has posted), this is the safest way to drive.

adjusting the side view mirrors to eliminate blind spots to the rear is highly recommended among several law enforcement agencies. most people tend to focus on areas that are already covered by the rear view mirror.

when adjusted properly, the overlapping view from rear to side mirrors should be pretty small. when you can see a car overtaking you in both mirrors more than a few seconds, that means the side view mirrors need to be adjusted further out

Dang! That wasn't something they taught me in driver's ed 30 years ago! I'll have to admit... it will be awfully difficult to change the head check habit after 30 years of driving. Maybe I'll ask my wife what she does. She's a better and safer (and faster) driver than me and I consider myself pretty safe.

I struggle with this myself. The prevailing wisdom when I learned to drive was to adjust the mirrors so that the side of the vehicle was just out of view. This was to "spatially orient the view" or some such.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Reduce? Sorry, but it eliminates ALL blind spots with cars in other lanes. And, it's much safer than turning your head back which is very dangerous as your eyes are no longer watching ahead. In that split second that you turn your head, you could rear end someone that has unexpectedly slowed, cut in front of you, or stopped. Experts on safety will tell you just what I've said. Use your rear view mirror until the car/s disappear, then your side view mirrors. If you set them correctly (as planet/Ray has posted), this is the safest way to drive.

adjusting the side view mirrors to eliminate blind spots to the rear is highly recommended among several law enforcement agencies. most people tend to focus on areas that are already covered by the rear view mirror.

when adjusted properly, the overlapping view from rear to side mirrors should be pretty small. when you can see a car overtaking you in both mirrors more than a few seconds, that means the side view mirrors need to be adjusted further out

Dang! That wasn't something they taught me in driver's ed 30 years ago! I'll have to admit... it will be awfully difficult to change the head check habit after 30 years of driving. Maybe I'll ask my wife what she does. She's a better and safer (and faster) driver than me and I consider myself pretty safe.

you were taught the way i was taught. in fact i was taught to NOT rely on mirrors but that has changed and supposedly for the better.

all i can say is...

is it easier to flip my eyes from one mirror to another all while my head is facing the direction of travel? yes

is it easy for me to turn my head to the rear?
no and hasnt been for a good 5 years. i am old. i cannot turn my head far enough to see anything unless i swivel my entire torso and that is a relatively slow process that also tends to drift the steering in that direction as well if i am not careful.

iow; this turn my head around thing is only done when moving very slowly and backwards

 

[LEAFfan]

you were taught the way i was taught. in fact i was taught to NOT rely on mirrors but that has changed and supposedly for the better.

+1! It is definitely better and safer once you get used to trusting your side mirrors. With this method, the driver can always keep their eyes looking forward which is the safest way to drive. I changed over 10 years ago when I read an article in the newspaper written by a driving expert/professional.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

you were taught the way i was taught. in fact i was taught to NOT rely on mirrors but that has changed and supposedly for the better.

+1! It is definitely better and safer once you get used to trusting your side mirrors. With this method, the driver can always keep their eyes looking forward which is the safest way to drive. I changed over 10 years ago when I read an article in the newspaper written by a driving expert/professional.

ya its been about since 2005 or so for me? it makes lane changes on busy freeways MUCH easier than the look back, look forward, look back thing i did when i was younger

 

[bowthom]

It did bother me, but now I've gotten used to having to lean forward and stick my head out to look around it, when making left turns. I have also had someone in the blind spot it creates. It's really noticeable when I drive our '04 Honda Civic. The view in that car is like a panoramic 60" wide-screen in comparison.

I seem to have heard somewhere that Federal roll-over standards were responsible for enlarging those supports in most new cars, not just the Leaf.

It is a bigger pillar than the Versa. I think the main reason for the A pillar size is roll over. With a 600 lb battery in the floor, the roof has to survive.

If I adjust my mirrors too far out, objects shoot across them too fast to focus on, so a compromise is best. As I am getting "older" my eyes take longer for image acquisition.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

It did bother me, but now I've gotten used to having to lean forward and stick my head out to look around it, when making left turns. I have also had someone in the blind spot it creates. It's really noticeable when I drive our '04 Honda Civic. The view in that car is like a panoramic 60" wide-screen in comparison.

I seem to have heard somewhere that Federal roll-over standards were responsible for enlarging those supports in most new cars, not just the Leaf.

It is a bigger pillar than the Versa. I think the main reason for the A pillar size is roll over. With a 600 lb battery in the floor, the roof has to survive.

that is part of it and the angle of the windshield (which makes a much larger and heavier glass plate) is the other. the Prius is exactly the same as far as the view to the left