Blind Spot Mirrors
Jun. 7th, 2010 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bquinlanAre you familiar with blind spot mirrors? They are small convex mirrors that attach to the outside mirrors on a car or truck. You have almost certainly seen them on school buses and semis.
Do you have blind spot mirrors on your own car? If not, you probably should add some. Soon.
Blind spot mirrors allow you to see into the gap that exists between the outer edge of your peripheral vision and the inner edge of what you can see in your regular rear-view mirrors. That area is bigger than we tend to think. Entire vehicles can hide in that gap. Isn't a device that helps you avoid hitting them worth five bucks and five minutes?
Most of the time you will notice if a vehicle moves into your blind spot, but distractions, such as heavy traffic or bad weather, can make you miss one. And it only takes one to cause an accident.
Most car mirrors are too small for the round 4" convex mirrors you see on trucks, but even a tiny blind spot mirror can provide a critical warning. You don't need a detailed view of whatever is in your blind spot, just a suggestion that something might be there will make you look before you change lanes. Any movement, like a vehicle swerving into your lane, is even more likely to catch your eye.
Blind spot mirrors are available in several shapes and sizes at any auto parts store. They come with an adhesive backing that just sticks to your existing outside mirror. Most of them cost less than $5 for a pair.
I prefer small (2-1/4" x 1-1/4") rectangular blind spot mirrors, but pick whatever size and shape leaves most of your regular mirror open. If you adjust your outside mirrors like most people, the bottom inside corner is the best place to put a blind spot mirror. That area only shows the back of your own car anyway.
With directional blind spot mirrors, like the rectangular ones, make sure that you put the thickest part toward the inside. It seems wrong to most people, but you want it to show you as much side view as possible.
Gadgets don't have to be high-tech, complicated, or expensive. They just need to be effective. Blind spot mirrors can save lives.
Do you have blind spot mirrors on your own car? If not, you probably should add some. Soon.
Blind spot mirrors allow you to see into the gap that exists between the outer edge of your peripheral vision and the inner edge of what you can see in your regular rear-view mirrors. That area is bigger than we tend to think. Entire vehicles can hide in that gap. Isn't a device that helps you avoid hitting them worth five bucks and five minutes?
Most of the time you will notice if a vehicle moves into your blind spot, but distractions, such as heavy traffic or bad weather, can make you miss one. And it only takes one to cause an accident.
Most car mirrors are too small for the round 4" convex mirrors you see on trucks, but even a tiny blind spot mirror can provide a critical warning. You don't need a detailed view of whatever is in your blind spot, just a suggestion that something might be there will make you look before you change lanes. Any movement, like a vehicle swerving into your lane, is even more likely to catch your eye.
Blind spot mirrors are available in several shapes and sizes at any auto parts store. They come with an adhesive backing that just sticks to your existing outside mirror. Most of them cost less than $5 for a pair.
I prefer small (2-1/4" x 1-1/4") rectangular blind spot mirrors, but pick whatever size and shape leaves most of your regular mirror open. If you adjust your outside mirrors like most people, the bottom inside corner is the best place to put a blind spot mirror. That area only shows the back of your own car anyway.
With directional blind spot mirrors, like the rectangular ones, make sure that you put the thickest part toward the inside. It seems wrong to most people, but you want it to show you as much side view as possible.
Gadgets don't have to be high-tech, complicated, or expensive. They just need to be effective. Blind spot mirrors can save lives.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 04:55 am (UTC)Thanks for the reminder. I was vaguely worried that I would remember your advice wrong, and put them on wrong way out.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-09 01:19 am (UTC)http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/
It's a request for an Android ap for Dreamwidth.