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Changing The Driving Experience

Joshua Caldwell

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I actually do this(SAE Adjustment) And when the rearview mirror fell off the windshield of my F250, all I used was sides.

This adjustment works great for blind-spot. I do adjust them just a touch further out so I can see the lanes to my left or right. When a car starts coming up on me, I can see it in the mirror up to the point the nose of the car is even with my side window.

So maybe with a rear facing camera do-hickey and following this adjustment, many should be very comfortable. BTW. I glued the mirror back after a year...for others to drive it.
Or just buckle down and get the blind-spot detection option!

car-and-driver-bars2-photo-495963-s-original.jpg
From the March 2010 Issue of Car and Driver

For the past few years, various carmakers have been offering blind-spot detection systems for their cars’ side mirrors. Often complex, these systems employ cameras or radar to scan the adjoining lanes for vehicles that may have disappeared from view.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published a paper in 1995 suggesting how outside mirrors could be adjusted to eliminate blind spots. The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror. This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a car’s blind spots. This obviates the need to glance over your shoulder to safely change lanes as well as the need for an expensive blind-spot warning system.
The only problem is getting used to the SAE-recommended mirror positions. The cabin’s rearview mirror is used to keep an eye on what is coming up from behind, while the outside mirrors reflect the area outside the view of the inside rearview mirror.

Those who have switched to the SAE’s approach swear by it, however, some drivers can’t adjust to not using the outside mirrors to see directly behind the car and miss being able to see their own car in the side mirrors. To them we say, “Have fun filling out those accident reports.”

Drive Defensively!!!
Thanks for the post, the SAE is how I've always done my mirrors and why one of my major early objections was Elio's recommending them to look directly back. My solution is to stick on smaller additional mirrors to widen the field of view.
 

Danno

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I would have to imagine that the amount of area you "can't" see would be limited to directly behind the vehicle and so small, I'm not sure what good, (with the exception of backing up), in which case, when you get in if you should see anything behind the vehicle.
 

Hog

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Remember the old "Wink" mirrors? They were a series of small mirrors that went completely across the top of the car (in place of the visors), and I had one of these on my tow truck, couldnt beat it for visibility. I have tried to find them lately but they seem to have disappeared.
winkmirror.jpg
 
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