The Blind Side

The recent success of the movie The Blind Side exposed areas of human consciousness and thought processes that we are not always aware of or have not paid much attention to. 
And, the movie exemplified that when you adjust your thought process, you see so much more.  The same parallel may be drawn for your vehicle mirrors.  Yes, car mirrors, truck mirrors, cycle mirrors, etc.  You may not give much attention to your vehicle rearview and side view mirrors, but a minor adjustment can help reduce or eliminate blind zones. 

Blind zones are areas where you lose sight of vehicles on either side of your own vehicle.  They are most commonly in the left and right areas behind the driver’s peripheral visual field.  Minor adjustments of your mirrors, can make a major visual difference. 

The tip for success when setting your vehicle mirrors is leaning.  Simply lean to the left until your head touches the left window and adjust your left mirror.  Then, lean to the right (near the middle of the car) and set your right mirror.  For both side mirror adjustments, make sure you can see the side of the car.  This simple process, lean to the left & lean to the right, will split the blind zone into two smaller portions and will minimize the chance of losing sight of most vehicles.     

As an added bonus, you’ll no longer have to turn and look completely over your shoulder to check the blind zones which increases your change to pull steering in the direction you are looking.   Just simply lean to the left or lean to the right and you’ll have an enhanced drivers field of view.  By properly setting your outside mirrors, you’ll reduce your blind sides and expand your field of vision.  So, lean on, see more clearly and goodbye Blind Side.  Safe travels.