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How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

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Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#121

Post by 8ytecoder »

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.

That's not true. My driving inspector watched for it and actually commended me at the end. There are also so many other things that he noticed and appreciated/warned me about that I see drivers not doing every single day - indicators, not switching lanes in an intersection (immediate fail), blocking an intersection, not cruising through bike lane, taking a right turn as close to the curb as possible, stop & look for pedestrians before turning right on red, look twice for pedestrians before making a turn and on and on. I don't see most drivers following any of it.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#122

Post by nradov »

wcarron wrote: post #60
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 porsch…

Your could make the same arguments for bringing back manual chokes. I think it's better to reduce the driver's workload so they can keep both hands on the wheel and devote more attention to what's happening outside.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#123

Post by njarboe »

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…

If you turn on your turn signal and don't start your lane change before at least one blink has occurred, this really helps out motorcyclists and bicyclists (and everyone else).

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#124

Post by baddox »

felipemnoa wrote: post #87
baddox wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

>>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. But if you don't check every single time, you will eventually make a mistake and hit another car. It is the same rationale about never pointing a gun at another person. Even if you are 100% sure that it is not loaded.

> But if you don't check every single time, you will eventually make a mistake and hit another car.

I don't really follow that logic. If I check every single that it's necessary to check, by definition that is adequate. Of course I'm not genuinely bothered that the driver test proctor scored me by-the-book, I'm sure that's much easier and more consistent for them and it probably rarely makes a difference between pass or fail. But I also don't think I was driving in any way unsafely in that instance.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#125

Post by lmilcin »

tarabanga wrote: post #112
lmilcin wrote: post #53

I have used this advice for the past decade and I could not recommend it more. After just few days of driving like that I could not believe how it was possible for me to drive with incorrectly set mirrors like 99÷ of car drivers.

I see many comments complaining about almost hitting bikes while using this method. How is your experience?

Okay, so the important thing to understand that with this method your mirrors don't overlap. Before, you could ignore your rear view mirror and just look in the side mirror to get the same coverage but slightly extended on that side. With correctly set mirrors you absolutely have to use both rear view mirror and the side mirror if you want to change the lane or are looking for a cyclist when turning.

I made some tests when I first started. I parked my car parallel to the street and observed when cars move from behind they move out of the rear view mirror and start appearing in side mirror before wholly disappear from rear view mirror.

With bicycles it is more difficult, not all parts of bicycle are easy to spot. If you just get a rear part or front wheel in the mirror you might miss it (it may be below your vision if you have SUV or have mirrors set bit high). For this reason I have my side mirrors set low, which also aides backing up when parking.

It is also important to look at your mirrors correctly. If you look for things moving faster than you, which is most of the time (for example when you are changing lanes or looking for cyclists when turning right) then you need to first look into the rear view mirror and then to side mirror, in that order.

I taught myself to scan all mirrors constantly when driving to have a map of all cars and their relative positions and velocities around me. It is tiring at the beginning but it means I am rarely surprised by normally moving cars (ie. not doing any stupid manouvers). It is very helpful when you need to suddenly swerve and you can frequently anticipate problems other drivers have and accommodate.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#126

Post by baddox »

kazinator wrote: post #58
baddox wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 yo…

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

Well, sure, no one is going to be perfect, but similarly, no one is going to always check over their shoulder.

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

Of course. I expect proctors to do things by the book. That's easier and more consistent than trusting each proctor's judgment. My complaints about the test methodology were in jest, but I do think what I did was not in any way unsafe.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#127

Post by wcarron »

1123581321 wrote: post #118
wcarron wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but it is a floor, not a ceiling. That's why I said "at least 1 car length". I give as much space as I possibly can in following distance without impeding traffic, but not less than 1cl/10mph. For example, if someone merges in front of me at approximately 3 car lengths at 65mph, I'm not going to slam on my brakes to increase the gap, then gun it back up to speed. That's dangerous. I'm going to get off the thrott…

Yes, but you said that turning back to look is _not_ risky and only gave one number that is too close to look back without risk. Theoretically “at least” has no upper bound, which I suppose gives you an out...

Well I admit, I never did the math on my rule of thumb. Perhaps it's time to revise it and give even more space. Maybe I've been, despite effort, still following too closely. Like I said, I try to give maximum space and be as responsible as possible. Not perfect though. I can still improve as a driver, as your math shows.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#128

Post by paganel »

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.

> You are drilled to look over the shoulder for literally every maneuver (lane switch, turn, etc.)

It's not the recommended practice in Romania, you're supposed to only rely on your side-mirrors and partly on your rear-view mirror without completely turning your head from the direction you're going (i.e. forward).

I'd say that this is the better solution for Bucharest's streets, where there's a much bigger chance of a pedestrian suddenly hopping in front of your car from between two parked cars on the side of the road, and as such it's better for the driver to almost always be attentive at what's in front of the car compared to what's on his/her sides.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#129

Post by paganel »

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 >…

> Physically turning your head in __not__ a risky operation if a driver has given proper following distance to the vehicle in fron

It is a very risky operation if you drive in a congested city where pedestrians can hop in front of your car at any one moment. I think that is not the case in the US but in other parts of the world if you take your eyes off from the forward-going direction then you risk hitting someone who has just appeared in front of your car out of nowhere.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#130

Post by jpallen »

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.

I drive a van, and that absolutely has a blind spot on the far side from the driver, no matter what I do with my head. The problem is that there are no rear passenger side windows to look through, and you can't see into the blind spot through the front passenger window. A blind spot mirror helps partially, but it's disconcerting driving with a known blind spot.
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