[vivekiny2k]

here is an example



EDIT: I am still looking for a good housing on the right side though. can't seem to get the correct angle. this is on a left hand drive car.

[avkurian]

I've had the most amazing experience with a left-side door mirror. Was driving a friend's 800 in Bangalore, and the car had the regular door mirrors. While waiting at a signal, the car to my left was close to me. A guy on a scooter squeezed through the gap and when he reaches the front door, he figures he can't get through because of both car's door mirrors. Very casually, he leans over and flips both mirrors shut, and rides ahead.

It was one of those moments that was so flabbergasting that neither of us (the drivers) could respond! Someone touching the vehicle I'm driving is a serious infringement of personal space, but this was just too funny to even get mad! It felt like when you're standing in a queue, and someone comes up behind you, physically moves your arm/leg out of the way, and moves forward.

Maybe if he'd opened out the mirror and adjusted the angle correctly after he'd passed through, it would have been slightly bearable...

[condor]

Bangalore : Diary Circle towards St John's, past Concorde & Forum gate. Waiting behind an Alto, for traffic to move. The driver reaches out, extends the folded right side ORVM. The angle is just right for me to see the driver.

What do I see ?! The make-up kit is whipped out, and the lady's touching up her hair, checks her lip-stick, and then quickly puts away the kit. The mirror is folded back, just as efficiently. Time to go, folks - the signal has now turned green.

Trust women to make most use of mirrors, no matter where !

[JRD]

Originally Posted by mithun

Is the Left Side Rear View mirror placed for the sole purpose that the occupant on the left side to have a rear view ?

LOL i think there is also another reason for that mirror. the purpose of it is to see whats happening at the rear left side of the car without having to look back completely. eg say you are in a hurry and are overtaking cars left and right. With the help of the LHS and RHS mirrors you can easily avoid side swiping a car behind you. Its also very useful while parking in tight spaces because you can judge exactly how close a object/car is to your car.

I have been using all three mirrors since the day i started driving and never have i had to look back completely to park my car. I just use the LHS and RHS mirrors to judge the distances.

[High Torque]

Friends found this while surfing..hope this is helpful

The rear-view and side mirrors are to eliminate blind spots while you are on the roads.

Blind spots, in the context of driving, are the areas around the vehicle which cannot be seen when looking forward or through any of the car mirrors. The inability to see objects or even people hidden in the blind spots has caused countless accidents.

Blind spots can be eliminated by overlapping the field of vision of the side and rear-view mirrors. Turning one's head briefly or adding another mirror with a larger field of vision are other ways to eradicate blind spots. Devices such as the reverse sensor can tackle the issue of blind spots too.

Some common blind spots include the rear sides of the vehicle, the front and back of the vehicle (if the object is too low), and the left and right areas ( in cases where side vision is hindered). A driver may be unable to see vehicles in the adjacent lanes of the road by using only the car's mirrors .




How to adjust your car mirrors

1. Move your driver's side view mirrors outwards

Press your head against the driver’s side window. Adjust your side view mirror outwards until you can just see the edge of the car.

2. Move your passenger's side view mirror outwards

Place your head in the center of the car and adjust the passenger’s side mirror so that you can just see the edge of the car. This is necessary even with convex (curved) mirrors despite the slightly distorted image.
You do not want this mirror to duplicate the representation on your rear-view mirror. Instead, you want this mirror to look at the lane beside you.

3. Check that you cannot see the sides of your car with your side view mirrors.

Once back in the normal driving position, both the side mirrors should be able to give a clear view of the lanes beside you, not the sides of your car.

4. Check that your mirrors do not duplicate each other

Both side view mirrors and your rear-view mirror should each give you a unique view of what is behind you. If any of these mirrors duplicate the view of the other, you have failed to adjust your mirrors properly.

5. Ask a friend to walk around the back of your car

Make sure there is no direction in which your friend can approach your car and blindside you. Adjust your mirrors so that you can see your friend at all angles.

6. Be on the lookout for blind spots.

As your friend circles your car, make sure that he can be seen at every angle. As he walks from your rear-view mirror to your passenger side mirror, you should have an uninterrupted visual fix. Likewise, there should be continuity as your friend travels from the rear-view mirror to the driver's side mirror. You should be able to see your friend, from your side mirrors to your peripheral vision, as he travels from the back of your car to the front.

If you can keep sight of your friend as he circles your car, while keeping your head fixed in front, you have adjusted your mirrors correctly.

Most of us have dealt with blind spots by turning our head for a quick check. This generally does not pose a problem in terms of missing something ahead; however, it may be dangerous. Unless you have worked to control it, your arms will move in the direction your eyes is looking thereby causing the steering wheel to turn in that direction. This might cause unwanted swerving of the moving car. With well-positioned mirrors, you will not have to turn to check for hidden blind spots. It is your eyes you want to move as you drive, not your head. The time it takes you to turn your head could prove fatal even for a millisecond!

Never let yourself be blindsided by another vehicle, no matter what direction that vehicle might come from. All vehicles approaching your car should be on your mental radar at all times.





Note from Mod : As per the Team-BHP rules, you MUST provide a link to the source of this data - or any content that you replicate from another source.

[santsharan]

Although I've already read it a couple of times, thanks High Torque for letting me revise the basics. This is a very important tip which most of us are not aware of. Before reading this article, I used to adjust all my car mirrors to give me the same scene behind (How Ignorant).

However, I also admit that I still turn my head quickly which makes me feel double sure before overtaking, turning etc.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by High Torque

.....

Press your head against the driver’s side window. Adjust your side view mirror outwards until you can just see the edge of the car.

2. Move your passenger's side view mirror outwards

Place your head in the center of the car and adjust the passenger’s side mirror so that you can just see the edge of the car. .....

3. Check that you cannot see the sides of your car with your side view mirrors.

Once back in the normal driving position, both the side mirrors should be able to give a clear view of the lanes beside you, not the sides of your car......

I disagree with this, and its a pretty bad/inaccurate way to set up your mirrors IMO! (It has the risks of the mirrors being set "too wide")

What i would say is :

From your regular driving position, adjust the mirrors so you can see the slightest bit of the side of your car (it should be <10% of whats visible in the mirror). This will provide some frame of reference for you, and make sure that your mirror is not set too wide. This will also help you notice immediately if your mirror gets bumped out of alignment.

cya
R

[vineethvazhayil]

I find it useful to have the sides of the car also visible (a position between what is defined as perfect and what is defined as narrow). It helps you take narrow paths, when people are lined up beside you in slow moving traffic (especially two wheelers and autos!)

[dushmish]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I disagree with this, and its a pretty bad/inaccurate way to set up your mirrors IMO! (It has the risks of the mirrors being set "too wide")

What i would say is :

From your regular driving position, adjust the mirrors so you can see the slightest bit of the side of your car (it should be <10% of whats visible in the mirror). This will provide some frame of reference for you, and make sure that your mirror is not set too wide. This will also help you notice immediately if your mirror gets bumped out of alignment.

cya
R

Right said Rehaan! It is always a good idea to have your own car visible in 1/5th of the ORVM. One take away I have from the article is that the mirrors should not duplicate the view. A very common mistake. I also used to do the same thing initially. There is no point seeing the same truck gaining on you in all three mirrors.

[revtech]

as rehaan already mentioned, you need to see the rear side of your car slightly only then can you judge the distance of other cars/objects from your car accurately.


rev

[watashi75]

Keeping the mirrors too wide may eliminate blind spots better but can be a little disorienting when you have to move your eyes from one mirror to another because the image distance shown is not same. I prefer to keep the mirrors so that when a vehicle leaves the rear mirror it just enters the view on the side mirror. So, when I move my eyes from left side mirror to rear view mirror to right side mirror, I can get a complete picture.

[hrag]

I was pretty sure I had read this earlier, and on this forum as well:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post498236

Mirrors set too wide are acceptable for some countries maybe. Not for us since if there is a blind spot, you can bet your last rupee there will be a two-wheeler there.

My method of adjustment is:
The reflection of my RHS front door handle is at the bottom LHS corner of the RHS ORVM. And vice versa for the other side. I have found this optimum for normal driving as well as reversing. The IRVM is set such that it shows me the entire view through the rear glass and a tiny portion of the parcel tray / door below the glass.

All of this is applicable for the convex mirrors found on most cars, not for the shaving mirrors that some manufacturers continue to provide.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I disagree with this, and its a pretty bad/inaccurate way to set up your mirrors IMO! (It has the risks of the mirrors being set "too wide")

What i would say is :

From your regular driving position, adjust the mirrors so you can see the slightest bit of the side of your car (it should be <10% of whats visible in the mirror). This will provide some frame of reference for you, and make sure that your mirror is not set too wide. This will also help you notice immediately if your mirror gets bumped out of alignment.

cya
R

I beg to disagree. I used to follow what you have recommended above, but after reading somewhere, I found the mirror position suggested by the thread-starter better. It gives a wider view of who's behind.
If you want to see the rear sides of the car, you can always lean right or left.

[watashi75]

Originally Posted by hrag

I have found this optimum for normal driving as well as reversing.

Yes, we tend to forget that we use the side mirrors for reversing as well! When reversing into a narrow parking space I don't want to be nodding my head left and right.

[Bouncer]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I disagree with this, and its a pretty bad/inaccurate way to set up your mirrors IMO! (It has the risks of the mirrors being set "too wide")

What i would say is :

From your regular driving position, adjust the mirrors so you can see the slightest bit of the side of your car (it should be <10% of whats visible in the mirror). This will provide some frame of reference for you, and make sure that your mirror is not set too wide. This will also help you notice immediately if your mirror gets bumped out of alignment.

cya
R

Originally Posted by revtech

as rehaan already mentioned, you need to see the rear side of your car slightly only then can you judge the distance of other cars/objects from your car accurately.


rev

This is the correct way IMO.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I beg to disagree. I used to follow what you have recommended above, but after reading somewhere, I found the mirror position suggested by the thread-starter better. It gives a wider view of who's behind.
If you want to see the rear sides of the car, you can always lean right or left.

No. not always.