You will encounter many potential safety issues when driving a car. One of the biggest worries, and a common explanation for accidents, is blind spots. Every driver will have one, and your blind spot can be bigger than others depending on the vehicle you are driving. Generally, larger vehicles have a larger blind spot – if you drive a large truck, you will probably have a much larger blind spot than someone driving a small Mini Cooper.
Obviously, blind spots are dangerous, so is there a special way around them? Also, can you truly remove the blind spot with some additional techniques or technology? Both of these questions will be answered in the post below, but let’s start with the more important question:
What are blind spots?
A blind spot is essentially a point where you can’t see any vehicles or pedestrians around you. When driving a car, you need to bear in mind of everything around you, so you can drive safely and avoid accidents. Luckily, the way the car is designed means you have excellent visibility 90% of the time.
However, because cars aren’t fully see-through, there are places where you can forget about the car or people near you. You cannot see it in any of your mirrors, so it has entered your blind spot.
Every driver will have the same blind spot, and it occurs when another car tries to overtake you or tow your vehicle. When a car is directly behind you, you can see it in the rearview mirror. When it is right next to you or on the side, you can see it in the side mirror. But, there are times when a car will stop beside you where it’s no longer in your rear view mirror or side mirror. You cannot even see it in your peripheral vision, so the only way to see the car is to turn your head. Of course, this is insecure because it means you do not see what’s in front of you.
Depending on the size of your car, these blind spots can be large or small. Other drivers can disappear for a split second or a few seconds. Either way, you need to understand how to deal with your blind spots!
Why are blind spots dangerous?
Naturally, there’s a high risk of an accident if you can’t see other drivers. A typical blind spot incident will involve someone trying to change lanes without realizing there’s a car very near them in their intended lane. You check your mirror for a second, see nothing, and head out. The next moment you hear tires squeal and roll in was hit by a car from behind. Or, even worse, the car can cut into the back of your car and send you spinning across the other lane, causing a buildup.
How do you deal with your blind spots?
This brings us to the main discussion: how do you overcome blind spots while driving?
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to overcome other drivers’ blind spots. If you are pulling up beside a car and entering its blind spot, you should hope the driver has read this article and knows what they can do to avoid an accident!
Luckily, there are many easy ways to deal with blind spots, maybe even eliminating them as a problem totally. Here are some thoughts:
Blind spot detection
For starters, you should consider driving a car with technology that particularly addresses blind spots. If you Click here, you’ll notice that the Mazda6 is touted as an excellent car for young drivers as it has Blind Spot Monitoring as part of its car technology package. That is, there’s a system with sensors that will warn you if someone is in your blind spot. That way you avoid making rash decisions while driving and will know if someone is near you before you exit into the next lane.
You can even find these systems mountable and car mountable. So, if your vehicle does not currently have the technology, you can install it.
Customize your mirror
Always be sure you adjust your mirrors to help you see as much behind you as possible. This is particularly important if you’re driving a new car, renting a car, or sharing a car with other people. Always start your journey by checking your rearview mirror to ensure it’s at the right angle. While this will not eliminate your blind spots, it will ensure that they’re as small as possible.
The video here covers how you should adjust the mirrors correctly, if you forget how to do it:
Add additional mirrors
You’ll notice that trucks and huge vehicles have more than one mirror on all sides. These have been added to broaden the view the driver gets, reducing blind spots. An analogous approach can even be taken in a normal car. Here, you can get small extra mirror that fits under your side mirror. They’ve been designed to provide an additional perspective behind you, particularly covering angles that your normal mirror misses. This makes it very difficult for vehicles to enter your blind spot without your knowledge.
Be careful when changing lanes
Always take a moment to double-check and triple-check your mirror before you switch lanes. Keep an eye on what’s in front of you and only pull out when there’s enough space between you and the car in front. This gives you time to quickly turn your head and see what’s coming. From here, you can move and alter lanes without your blind spot being a problem.
Every driver needs to bear in mind of their blind spots when behind the wheel of a car. Learn where they’re, then take steps to stop them from becoming a problem.
