Almost an accident and Car tricks!

[PepperElf]

Both parts are related.

Almost an accident - almost a self-sighting too.

I merged from one highway to another and was just about to switch to the left lane. I hadn't actually done anything yet - hadn't hit my directional light, hadn't started my turn even, but in my mind I was READY.

Then I saw a flash of metal in my left mirror. .. ! I think my heart almost stopped. There was a car coming up RIGHT beside me.

If I'd made that move... I'd have slammed into him.



Now we get to the Car Tricks!

Before today I was thinking of adjusting that left mirror. I'm of the old school where you align your mirrors by putting the rear door handle in the lower corner of the mirror.

Kinda. My boyfriend DID get me to change my habit for the right mirror. I still align it to the door handle I mean... but I lean far over to the right first. That gives me a GREAT view of the right blind spot.

My left mirror was turned out slightly passed the door-handle marker. And I've been thinking of putting it back to that position.... After my almost-crash I re-adjusted the mirror FURTHER to the left instead.


So that's my Car Tricks for today
- leaning to the right before adjusting the right mirror
- kicking the left mirror out a bit further too

and being "ms twitchy" and paying attention better. By "twitchy" I mean checking the mirrors and everyone around me a LOT more than I was this morning.

[RealUnimportant]

My "new" (1976, but new to me) car has a fantastic period replacement interior mirror, from the days when wing/door mirrors were still options... It covers the entire sweep between both B pillars, which makes it all but impossible to sit in a "blind spot". With all the urban driving I do, this has been a revelation, and has already saved me (and a couple of idiotic cyclists) from numerous dents & scratches!

[Flying Grype]

No matter how well you think your mirrors are adjusted, though -- look to your left before you change lanes. I'm a new driver and I'm astonished at how big that blind spot is. You could hide a whole fleet in there.

[It's me]

How to adjust your mirrors:
http://www.wheels.ca/article/34499

If you can see the side of your car in the mirror, it needs to be adjusted outward. You don't need to see the side of your own car, since the odds of you colliding with it are pretty much zero. So move the mirror to show the stuff you can collide with.

[Food Lady]

^ That makes so much sense that it's funny. I don't rely on mirrors. I always turn my head to check the blind spot, always. Not even sure why I have mirrors, except to reflect headlights and blind me at night. >.<

[Chromatix]

Mirrors are for seeing behind you, windows are for seeing to the front and sides.

[PepperElf]

Sadly... last night's driving falls under the same title.

Car Tricks Updated

I decided to test my mirror setup yesterday afternoon while driving home. As a couple of cars passed me I checked to see where they became invisible - or rather, where they were in my blind spot.

SQUEEEE - NO BLIND SPOT!

Seriously! None! When a car starts passing me on the left I first see it in the rear view mirror, and then in BOTH left and rear mirrors, and finally just in the rear mirror. Then I can see it next to me.

Yay!


Almost an accident - again. kinda. - cos this time it WASN'T my fault.

So as I was driving home I made a point of looking ahead to where I knew the exits/entrances were. And I saw one where cars were clearly entering the highway. I moved over to the left lane to give them room to get on the road and passed them.

Only one guy in a beat up green car apparently wanted to be in the left lane. Almost exactly what I did above - where I planned on getting into the left lane and *eeeek* someone in my blind spot.

Except I wasn't in his blind spot. I was AHEAD of him. He was still making his wide swing into the road and kept on coming... to the point that I planned on blasting my horn at him to tell him "I'M RIGHT HERE"... only my instincts made me hit the brakes instead.

I turned to look at him to see if he was going to hit. He pulled out of the turn and looked back at me...

With a glare. As if the almost-collision was MY fault.



Jerk.


But at least my mirrors are flipping awesome now!

[Bella_Vixen]

I never understood how people DON'T adjust their mirrors so they don't have blind spots.