How to Adjust Car Mirrors to Avoid Blind Spots

Driving is an extremely visual task and requires constant views of your surroundings. Seeing in front of you is a given as long as your windshield is clear and the weather conditions aren’t extreme. Seeing to the sides and behind you can be a little bit trickier. All cars have blind spots that you have to watch out for, but with these tips to adjust your car mirrors for maximum visibility, you’ll significantly improve your vision and safety on the road.

Adjust Rear View Mirror

The rear-view mirror should be able to show you the entire lane behind you. You should be able to see it by looking up without you having to move your head. To adjust your rear-view mirror, you should do so while sitting straight in the driver’s seat and move the mirror until you can see as much of the back windshield as possible. By doing this, you will cover the blind spots which the side mirrors leave.

At night, remember to flip the tab on the bottom of the rearview mirror for nighttime driving. This dims the headlights of the cars behind you so the light reflected from the mirror into your eyes doesn’t blind you.

A tip for tall people: if you are 6 feet tall or above, re-position the mirror entirely upside down. You should do so because it raises the mirror further up by about 2 inches. This will help you view the scene behind your car without having to move your head too much.

Adjust Side View Mirrors

You might be surprised to know that side mirrors are meant to be in a more outward direction than you might be used to. Many motorists are unaware of this and adjust their side mirrors so they can just barely see the flanks of their own ca. This only creates redundancy with the rearview mirror and allows a larger blind spot to linger.

Here’s how you should adjust your car’s side view mirrors:

• Lean your head to the left and rest it on the window. Adjust the driver’s side mirror while in this position until you can only see a sliver of the side of your car in the mirror. When you sit up straight, you’ll notice the mirror now has a much wider viewing angle.
• Lean your head to the right toward the center console and adjust the passenger’s side mirror while in this position until you can barely see your car’s right flank in the mirror.

Many newer models have a small lever or joy-stick on the driver’s side door that electronically adjusts the side mirrors. Older models often require you to manually adjust them using a lever or by pressing on the mirror itself. In the case that you need to manually move your mirrors, it’s best to get the help of a friend to adjust your passenger side mirror while you are viewing from the driver’s seat.

Other Driving Safety Tips

• Test out your mirror adjustments. If you are not used to having your mirrors properly adjusted for a fuller view around your vehicle, it might take time to get used to it. Take a small test drive around the block before utilizing the view for your usual driving.
• Look over your shoulder. Even after adjusting your mirrors to a point that you think you can see everything, you should still look over to check blind spots before changing lanes.
• Avoid adjusting mirrors in motion. It seems pretty obvious, but it can be dangerous to adjust mirrors while driving. Be sure to adjust your mirrors before taking off.