Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

pages.cs.wisc.edu

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 321 posts

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#51

Post by wwweston »

Havoc wrote: post #12

I can deal with blindspots. What boggles my mind is that some modern cars still have abnormally large ones. Cars with bad crash ratings get shat on but apparently designs with massive blindspots are totally OK.

This. I drive cars from the 90s for a combination of economic and nostalgia/aesthetic reasons, but every time I get in a recent model, I'm struck by how many of them have seriously compromised fields of visibility by comparison.

Is it just that there's no institutional rating of this sort of thing? I can't imagine that insurers would leave that stone unturned. Or is it really that it makes less of a difference than I'd believe?

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#52

Post by mywittyname »

wcarron wrote: post #11

There's an even simpler, more effective way of checking blind spots: Actually turning ones head and looking over the shoulder. The "blind spot" doesn't exist when drivers exercise proper caution and responsible driving behavior. Of course, expecting this of drivers is unrealistically utopian. Nevertheless, a "blind spot" is just another excuse for unsafe drivers.

This is not an effective way of checking your blind spot. Unless you have a convertible or lean your head out of the window, the C-pillar will still block your vision.

You have to properly configure your side mirror in order to eliminate blind spots in most cars. With a side mirror configured like in the article, you can see everything beside you by sweeping your head just a few inches. This works extremely well, even in a car like a modern Camaro, which has little mirrors, slit windows, enormous b-pillars and a door sill that's higher than most peoples' shoulders.

Using your technique in a car like this will not work for anyone under 6'4 -- which is why so many people complain about the Camaro having visibility of a tank. They use the wrong, old fashion way of checking over your shoulder, rather than relying on properly configured mirrors, which is what I do and have no complaints about side visibility.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#54

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

wcarron wrote: post #43
UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree with you, but technology is encouraging us to 'rely' on it's helpful beeps, alerts, and flashes. Soon we will have trained an entire generation to 'drive-by-sensors' and not senses.

Over-reliance on technology is a plague on driving quality. This is actually why I (and I realize this isn't realistic) think that new drivers should be required to learn to driv and pass the driving test using a manual transmission vehicle without driver aids such as blind-spot detection, lane-assist, assistive braking, etc. Each year, cars become more and more insulated and isolated from the reality of driving, whi…

> manual transmission vehicle

Why? I get that there is going to be a lot of missing sensors, but the automatic transmission is now so ubiquitous that it makes no sense to require you not to. I understand it's a nice additional skill, but in the modern era it in no way proves/disproves one's ability to function on the roadway. In fact, once these sensors all become as equally ubiquitous, there will be very little argument to be made against them as well. Might as well make an argument that you everyone should drive a Benz Patent Motor Car just to really "feel" the car.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#55

Post by CharlesW »

wcarron wrote: post #11

There's an even simpler, more effective way of checking blind spots: Actually turning ones head and looking over the shoulder. The "blind spot" doesn't exist when drivers exercise proper caution and responsible driving behavior. Of course, expecting this of drivers is unrealistically utopian. Nevertheless, a "blind spot" is just another excuse for unsafe drivers.

> There's an even simpler, more effective way of checking blind spots: Actually turning ones head and looking over the shoulder.

Properly adjusting your mirrors doesn't mean that you never turn your head and look over your shoulder, but that you don't have to do it nearly as often.

That's good, because physically turning your head is an incredibly slow and risky operation when compared to a glance.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#56

Post by gpmcadam »

mywittyname wrote: post #52
wcarron wrote: post #11

There's an even simpler, more effective way of checking blind spots: Actually turning ones head and looking over the shoulder. The "blind spot" doesn't exist when drivers exercise proper caution and responsible driving behavior. Of course, expecting this of drivers is unrealistically utopian. Nevertheless, a "blind spot" is just another excuse for unsafe drivers.

This is not an effective way of checking your blind spot. Unless you have a convertible or lean your head out of the window, the C-pillar will still block your vision. You have to properly configure your side mirror in order to eliminate blind spots in most cars. With a side mirror configured like in the article, you can see everything beside you by sweeping your head just a few inches. This works extremely well, eve…

This is not true at all. When changing lanes, scan from over your shoulder, to your side mirror and you get complete coverage. When first setting off, scan from I’ve done shoulder, through to the side mirror, to the front screen, up to the main mirror, out to the other side mirror and finally over the other shoulder to check all around the vehicle before setting off safely.

Source: recently learned to drive in the UK and this is how the instructor taught me and is standard teaching here

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#58

Post by kazinator »

baddox wrote: post #42
tinbad wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an integral part of a driving exam in the Netherlands. You are drilled to look over the shoulder for literally every maneuver (lane switch, turn, etc.) and if you fail to do it even once during the driving exam you will get a fail. In other news: driving test in the US is a complete joke.

Then again, in my US driving test I was penalized (I still passed the test) for not looking over my shoulder before one lane change. It was a two-lane one-way road with zero traffic. There's no way a car could've gotten there without me seeing it in my mirrors unless it had been dropped from the air into my blind spot. I'm definitely not still bitter.

I've had plenty of moments in my 33 years as a driver where a vehicle dropped out of the sky and into my blind spot; they just do that!

The problem is that your attention isn't riveted on the mirrors at all times.

If you have been sternly monitoring the mirrors in the previous fraction of a minute, then such a hypothesis does hold.

In road tests, you have to do everything by the book, though.

They want to see that you've developed the habit of checking. The habit will save you that time when your don't-have-to-do-it hypothesis happens to have a flaw.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#59

Post by mariojv »

tinbad wrote: post #15
wcarron wrote: post #11

There's an even simpler, more effective way of checking blind spots: Actually turning ones head and looking over the shoulder. The "blind spot" doesn't exist when drivers exercise proper caution and responsible driving behavior. Of course, expecting this of drivers is unrealistically utopian. Nevertheless, a "blind spot" is just another excuse for unsafe drivers.

This is an integral part of a driving exam in the Netherlands. You are drilled to look over the shoulder for literally every maneuver (lane switch, turn, etc.) and if you fail to do it even once during the driving exam you will get a fail. In other news: driving test in the US is a complete joke.

In some states, yes. In Texas, I know of several people who didn't even have to take a practical driving test - just a written exam. There used to be an exemption from the practical driving test if you had a licensed parent teach their child under 18 to drive.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#60

Post by wcarron »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #54
wcarron wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over-reliance on technology is a plague on driving quality. This is actually why I (and I realize this isn't realistic) think that new drivers should be required to learn to driv and pass the driving test using a manual transmission vehicle without driver aids such as blind-spot detection, lane-assist, assistive braking, etc. Each year, cars become more and more insulated and isolated from the reality of driving, whi…

> manual transmission vehicle Why? I get that there is going to be a lot of missing sensors, but the automatic transmission is now so ubiquitous that it makes no sense to require you not to. I understand it's a nice additional skill, but in the modern era it in no way proves/disproves one's ability to function on the roadway. In fact, once these sensors all become as equally ubiquitous, there will be very little argu…

Because a manual transmission makes you engage more with the car. You must control it more actively, thus teaching drivers to focus on and observe the car and road rather than waiting for directives from sensors like blind-spot detection lights. An automatic mentally allows the driver to feel and operate more like a passenger than a pilot. Manual trans prevents this.

It's not about some pretentious "feel" like porsche-bros espouse. It's about engagement and forming good habits so drivers are more self aware and self sufficient on the road.

Post reply on HN