Protecting Your Car From Blind Spots

Whether your car is small or large, you will have blind spots. Every year, children are injured and killed because drivers (in some cases, parents) don't see them while backing up. Statistics show that at least 50 children are backed over every week in the U.S. Part of the culprit is that Americans prefer larger vehicles which also come with larger blind spots. But passenger cars have theirs as well and all cars should be modified or maintained for any blind zones around them.

To modify your vehicle the best you can for blind spots, start with your rear-view mirrors. While the interior mirror should be set to see straight back along the road, the mirrors mounted on the doors should not duplicate this view. The proper use of the rear-view mirrors is to let you visualize the blind spots flanking your car. So here is what you do. First adjust your driver’s seat to the correct position. Second, lean your head and torso over to the left until your head contacts the window glass. Now, adjust the left-side mirror outward until you can barely see your own fender in it. Next, lean over to the right a similar distance, and adjust the right-side mirror so you can just see your own rear fender.

With your rear-view mirrors adjusted as so, you are covering a rear blind spot. This means that you won’t need to swivel your neck around to be aware of traffic hiding at 60 mph right beside you while the interior mirror will still let you see the traffic directly behind you. Mirrors adjusted as so are particularly important on multi-lane highways where you may have to keep tabs on lanes on both sides.

Even with your mirrors adjusted properly and owning a rear-view camera, it is important to check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds while driving. Mirrors will not reveal a vehicle that is changing lanes from two lanes away. After checking your mirrors, use your head to look back before changing lanes.

As for having a large vehicle, you may want to invest in a back-up camera. This is especially a good idea if you live in an area with many pets or children. Some new cars come standard with some kind of sensory device or camera to help drivers with rearward motion. A small camera system is mounted above the rear license plate and a color LCD monitor mounted to the inside front windshield with suction cups is all it takes to make your vehicle safe.

Because blind spots cause so many accidents, some new vehicles are coming with Blind Spot Detector Systems. BSDS uses radar sensors invisibly mounted to the back of the rear wheels and the side exterior of the vehicle, which detect objects approaching the driver's blind spot area. Each sensor uses two overlapping radar beams to cover the large observation zone and reliably detect objects traveling at high speeds. In addition, BSDS is efficiently designed only to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes. When an obstruction is detected, BSDS alerts the driver to a potential collision with a light on the side-view mirror.

Regardless of how you protect yourself from blind spots when driving a vehicle of any size, you can be sure you’ll save yourself a lot of money, time and just maybe a life by just taking the time to take it into consideration.


Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.