How to set your mirrors

touch said:
Why would you adjust your rear view mirror to look in the eyes of the driver behind? You want to see where their car is, and about 90% of their car is below their eye level, so it makes sense that you would see the mouth of the driver in front when you look into their mirror rather than their eyes.
Click to expand...

not really? If all you can see from behind is their mouth then they must be looking at the back seats of their car rather than out the back window?
 
I always look over my shoulder - I guess it's the biker in me... However my mirrors are pushed away from the car as much as they can go but I can still see the side of my car down them anyway. I've set them up so I can see either side of what's behind me, and if I need a better idea, I turn my head. Simples.
 
Freefaller said:
I always look over my shoulder - I guess it's the biker in me... However my mirrors are pushed away from the car as much as they can go but I can still see the side of my car down them anyway.
Click to expand...

im sure its a EU law that the mirror has to show the side of the car, even at fully pointing out position. Came into effect somewhere around 2005 i believe?
 
Overlag said:
im sure its a EU law that the mirror has to show the side of the car, even at fully pointing out position. Came into effect somewhere around 2005 i believe?
Click to expand...

Not sure.. . however, if I were short and had the seat shoved forward with my current mirror set up I wonder if I could see the side of the car?
 
I wouldn't want to have my mirrors so that I can't see a bit of the car in them as it would mean adjusting them again every time I reverse the car onto my drive.
 
I always do the 'lifesaver' look whenever pulling out anywhere, never been a biker on the road but just always done it without thinking really.

When i had to drive a transit van down from north wales to devon that messed with my head having to rely on the mirrors so much! Had to keep leaning forward in the seat to look along side/behind.
 
If you use your mirrors regularly enough on a motorway, you will know exactly what is behind you in each lane, and how quickly they are approaching.

I have my mirrors showing the rear quarter of my car slightly - it's a great fixed point of reference.

And when I'm reversing onto my drive or into a parking space, I don't need to adjust them.

Surely when we were taught to drive by our qualified driving instructors, we would have been told how to set the mirrors - if it should be pointing out into the road then we'd have been told to ensure the mirrors were set like that, right?
 
alexthecheese said:
The way I see it is that with the way they're doing it, your field of view behind you is greater, so what were blindspots are now visible. Obviously you'll always still have blindspots and need to have a look by moving your head, but it just means there's more to see in the mirrors.
Click to expand...

So you are just moving the blindspots. Pointless really, why change the position you are used to and already know where the blindspots are?

As long as you are a half decent driver you will be checking over your shoulder anyway, so it's not going to make any difference. Perhaps it's only bikers that do this when driving - would explain a lot.
 
Confused said:
Surely when we were taught to drive by our qualified driving instructors, we would have been told how to set the mirrors - if it should be pointing out into the road then we'd have been told to ensure the mirrors were set like that, right?
Click to expand...

I was told to have them so you could just see the side of the car. Helps with parking and the fabled blind spots. You still had to do an over the shoulder check though.
 
Park the car in a level road .

Adjust mirrors up and down so u can see half road and half sky , so the horizon is about the middle of the mirrod, then adjust left or right untill u have approx 1 inch view of the side of your car.

Works for me with most cars i have been in.
 
Dogbreath said:
As long as you are a half decent driver you will be checking over your shoulder anyway, so it's not going to make any difference. Perhaps it's only bikers that do this when driving - would explain a lot.
Click to expand...

I had to sit a driving assessment with work recently, with one of our driving assessors who has been on the road as a professional for over 25 years.

He was quite surprised when I did a "lifesaver" before pulling off the sliproad onto a dual carriageway, he said most people he sees don't naturally do this.

My dad always told me - "Ride a bike under the assumption that everyone else on the road wants to actively kill you" - that's always stuck with me, on 2 wheels or 4!
 
Lopéz said:
I had to sit a driving assessment with work recently, with one of our driving assessors who has been on the road as a professional for over 25 years.

He was quite surprised when I did a "lifesaver" before pulling off the sliproad onto a dual carriageway, he said most people he sees don't naturally do this.

My dad always told me - "Ride a bike under the assumption that everyone else on the road wants to actively kill you" - that's always stuck with me, on 2 wheels or 4!
Click to expand...

I do the 'lifesaver' when i change lanes, pulling out or merge on the motorway without fail.

usually its rear view mirror , then wing mirror , then 'lifesaver'.
 
When driving around the Island I have my mirrors adjusted to show a bit of my car for reversing etc.

When I'm travelling on motorways a lot, I generally adjust to get as wide as possible, but I generally remain aware of what is around me, looking over my shoulder when merging or if there is ever any doubt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom