How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot” • Hacker News Board

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#101

Post by opencl » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:29 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #96

wcarron wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Physically turning your head in __not__ a risky operation if a driver has given proper following distance to the vehicle in front. Turning to look over your shoulder is only dangerous if you are driving dangerously by following too closely or at an excessive speed difference between your vehicle and surrounding traffic. My personal rule of thumb is at least 1 car length for every 10mph I'm traveling at, so at 70mph >…

The rule by the books is not car lengths, but two seconds. Easier to measure seconds, and cars are difference sizes so less arbitrary. 2 seconds tends to be just slightly longer than your rule. Those who study human reaction times figure that from the time something happens, you notice and you get your foot physically moved to the brake and push hard enough to make a difference 1.75 seconds have passed. Thus 2 second…

The one car length per 10mph rule barely gives you one second of following distance, assuming a car length is about 15 feet.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#102

Post by bluGill » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

wcarron wrote: post #47

LeoPanthera wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Soon we will have trained an entire generation to 'drive-by-sensors' and not senses. I honestly believe that driver safety will approve more rapidly when that happens than ever before. I trust silicon more than I trust meat.

> I trust silicon more than I trust meat. I'm halfway onboard with you. The difference is in what I trust it to do. I trust meat more than silicon when meat is driving attentively and safely . There are many drivers out there with fantastic control of their vehicle, especially in bad situations. The other half is that I don't trust meat to actually drive attentively and safely. I trust silicon to actually drive safel…

Sensors need to prove themselves, but I'm optimistic that senors will soon be better. I have one set of eyes looking in one direction (whatever my field of view is, lets assume 90 degrees for discussion). I can never look two directions at once, but in fact I need to be looking all 4 at once. If I allow enough margin of safety I can get by since danger general is coming from at most two predictable directions but there are situations where one of the other direction has a danger that I can't predict. (for example: right turns where I look left for the danger of cars coming and miss the pedestrian trying to cross from the right - since pedestrians are rare a the intersections I drive nobody expects them)

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#103

Post by kazinator » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:31 PM UTC

adrr wrote: post #77

wcarron wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. Proper side view mirror alignment results in the car driver able to clearly see the dividing lines for a significant distance behind the car. A vehicle following closely behind you does (or rather, should) not impede the side view mirrors.

Maybe you should make an article on it. The article diagrams clearly shows a blind spot for lane splitting motorcycles just like every other article on the subject including the youtube videos showing proper alignment mirrors. A car following closely behind you impedes the rearview mirror. Just look out of it next time your stuck in stop and go traffic where lane splitting happens.

> The article diagrams clearly shows a blind spot for lane splitting motorcycles

No it doesn't; it clearly shows a blind spot immediately next to your vehicle that can at best hide a cyclist who sticks right next to your rear passenger door, or rear left body panel. (Unsurprisingly: these are the parts of your car you don't see.)

You might nevertheless him or her in the rear-view through the rear passenger window or quarter glass.

Also, you can still see into that area if you tilt your head to the right. That's because the mirror was adjusted that way: to just see the edge of your car with your head tilted toward the side window.

I've always set up my mirrors exactly as this article suggests; I learned that in 1986. Before executing a lane change, I not only look in the rear-view mirror and side mirror, but also tilt my head left. Then just a glance left is required, because the lateral blind spot is so reduced by the positioning of the side mirror that it doesn't require a full head turn.

> A car following closely behind you impedes the rearview mirror.

Yes, a vehicle behind you can occlude a motorcyclist who is riding next to that vehicle. This will be the case even if you drive a convertible with its roof down, and turn your head to face in that direction.

If you tilt your head to the left, you may still be able to see that rider in the side mirror, unless the vehicle behind you is very wide, or positioned to the left.

In such a situation, that vehicle will be blocking more than just a stripe-riding motorcyclist; that vehicle will obstruct a significant view of the adjacent lane, preventing you from seeing a speeding vehicle a little ways back; you'd be foolish to execute a lane change while being tail-gated like that for reasons not related to stripe-riding motorcyclists.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#104

Post by 1123581321 » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:32 PM UTC

wcarron wrote: post #70

CharlesW wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Physically turning your head in __not__ a risky operation if a driver has given proper following distance to the vehicle in front. Turning to look over your shoulder is only dangerous if you are driving dangerously by following too closely or at an excessive speed difference between your vehicle and surrounding traffic. My personal rule of thumb is at least 1 car length for every 10mph I'm traveling at, so at 70mph >…

That rule of thumb gives you about a second, assuming no one cuts into your lane or crosses the median. You are reducing but not eliminating risk enough to emphasize that it’s not risky.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#105

Post by techopoly » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:33 PM UTC

cafebeen wrote: post #28

These seem like good guidelines, although I would add that drivers should also be aware of other cars that may merge from the side, so you cannot depend entirely on the mirrors. This happens quite frequently in heavy traffic when folks are eager to take any space available

Agreed, drivers often do not check for this. If I'm merging into a lane, I prefer to do so when not sliding next to another car. If it's inevitable, I do it slowly.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#106

Post by wcarron » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:35 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #96

wcarron wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Physically turning your head in __not__ a risky operation if a driver has given proper following distance to the vehicle in front. Turning to look over your shoulder is only dangerous if you are driving dangerously by following too closely or at an excessive speed difference between your vehicle and surrounding traffic. My personal rule of thumb is at least 1 car length for every 10mph I'm traveling at, so at 70mph >…

The rule by the books is not car lengths, but two seconds. Easier to measure seconds, and cars are difference sizes so less arbitrary. 2 seconds tends to be just slightly longer than your rule. Those who study human reaction times figure that from the time something happens, you notice and you get your foot physically moved to the brake and push hard enough to make a difference 1.75 seconds have passed. Thus 2 second…

True, the rule is measured in seconds. But, I can't accurately measure time without distance. If a car passes a pole at time = 0 at ~ 60mph, I will be a certain distance behind the car if I pass the pole 2 seconds later, traveling at approximately the same speed.

I find it a little easier to use distance to maintain this over time, because I can always see how far ahead of me the car is, but to measure by time takes landmarks and it's much harder to get a real accurate time measurement. In any case, I tend to err a little on the high side regarding distance for this reason.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#107

Post by wffurr » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:37 PM UTC

stefan_ wrote: post #6

"Blind spots" are a sociological device to absolve motorists of responsibility for dangerous driving.

"Oh I didn't see them officer." "Oh I mistook the gas for the brake." "They came out of nowhere." "I didn't have time to stop."

etc. etc. etc.

The excuses for irresponsible dangerous driving behavior are endless.

I yelled at someone for not stopping for a mother and stroller in a crosswalk. The driver said she didn't see them. I said that meant they were going too fast. They said no, they weren't, they just couldn't see them. It was impossible to get through to this person that if you didn't see someone in the crosswalk then they were going too fast and not paying enough attention.

Simply amazing. I try not to think about it too hard or I'll never leave the house.

The approach of the original post, blind spots for motorcycles and bicycles aside, is at least taking responsibility on the part of the driver to change behavior and drive safely. Every "accident" has a cause, somewhere down the line.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#108

Post by mveety » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:42 PM UTC

ummonk wrote: post #25

There are smaller things (bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians) that can sneak into the gap between the side and rearview mirror views here. And colliding with one of those is much more likely to cause serious injury or death than colliding with a car. It's a much better idea to make sure your side and rear mirrors have complete coverage (i.e. no gaps) at the back, and actually turning your head to check the blind spot…

This is fantastic advice. The only thing I can really add is you should be keeping track of what’s around you, don’t look just before a lane change. Having good situational awareness is the most important thing when driving.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#109

Post by deathanatos » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:43 PM UTC

Am I the only one that doesn't find the blind spot to be where this article puts it? (Between the side mirror and the rear mirror's coverage areas.) I can (barely) see the entire side of my car in my side mirror; anything closer to behind me is going to appear in the rear mirror. The part I have trouble with is the other side of the side mirror, that is, the forward part of its coverage. A car can sit forward of what the mirror can see, but not yet in my peripheral vision.

So I turn my head when merging, to clear that area.

(Perhaps I have my side mirror pointing further "back" than the article?)

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#110

Post by 11thEarlOfMar » Thu, Jan 03, 2019, 9:43 PM UTC

I've been aligning my mirrors like this for years. I prefer it because I can see cars in immediate adjacent positions without turning my head. It's particularly helpful in situations where I need to very quickly assess the situation, such as unexpected debris on the road and little time to react.

As noted, however, motorcycles can draw up unseen. But more often, when it fails, it's a car two lanes over to my rear that changes lanes towards me at the same time I do. it can go completely unseen. So I always do a head check, time permitting.