For most passenger cars and trucks, the blind spot mirror is not necessary if you’re able to correctly adjust your side view mirrors. However, many drivers do find it simpler to add these aftermarket accessories (and some larger vehicles come with them as standard equipment). How do you use blind spot mirrors, though? What’s the best blind spot mirror safety information?
What is a blind spot?
No matter how well you position your side view mirrors, there is going to be a blind spot on either side. A great deal of this will depend on your car’s design and construction, but there will always be areas that you cannot see. Blind spot mirrors are designed to alleviate this problem.
Using blind spot mirrors
Blind spot mirrors are actually very simple. They’re generally curved mirrors that attach to your vehicle’s stock side view mirrors. The curved surface allows the mirror to reflect objects from a wider range of angles than is possible with conventional side view mirrors.
To use a blind spot mirror correctly, it should be installed so that it provides a view of the blind spots to your right and left when sitting in the driver’s seat. Make sure your side view mirror itself is positioned correctly (you shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car), and then adjust the blind spot mirror so that you can see what the other mirror misses.
For most vehicles, the optimal location for installation is the upper corner on the outside of the mirror. However, this doesn’t apply to all vehicles, so you might have to experiment with placement in order to get optimal coverage of your specific blind spots. Note that many vehicles do not benefit from a blind spot mirror on the passenger side view mirror. The size of the mirror limits visibility of the reflection for the driver, and passenger side view mirrors are naturally convex to cover the blind spot.
