[Happysmiles]

Phew!! Just came back after a short drive with the new mirror settings, and trust me, what a difference in all round rear visibility.

More practice for me to understand and adapt.

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by Happysmiles

Phew!! Just came back after a short drive with the new mirror settings, and trust me, what a difference in all round rear visibility.

More practice for me to understand and adapt.

Happy you tried it and happier that you liked it. Takes a few days to get used to, but once you are comfortable, trust me, you ain't going back

[aishtin]

This is an interesting article. The way Patchboy had explained with the help of diagrams, I am willing to give it a try. Freedom too pointed out in a way what most of us think. But I think we have been conditioned to this kind of a mirror adjustment. Maybe the change is good. And we can easily see so many people agreeinsg to Patchboy but a little hesitant. Same here fellows. I am also preparing my mind for the change. Let's see how soon I can adapt to it.
Cheers.
Aish

[Captain Haddock]

In my experience no mirror adjustment should replace turning your head and looking through the window after checking the mirrors. Bikers usually overtake a few MM away and may not be visible on mirrors. Always check through the window before a lane change can save a lot of side swipes.

[71Convertible]

Originally Posted by saion666

Logically this makes sense but in real world(specially India) it doesnt, except some highways.
Here in India you need to keep an eye on the motorcyclist or the cab pushing against you in a traffic jam or a bottleneck. Seeing the rear of the car and getting to see on 'how close is too close' instead of relying on idea/assumption helps in city traffic. Sometimes just giving a hard glaze on noticing the nuisance in the rear view mirror saves you some dents or scratches. Then you have the autos which takes 'proximity' to new limits and probably the age old 'bad' practice will help to give some 'close saves', it's a common practice for a reason .

Yeah while on highways, like someone pointed out, this tip makes pure sense.

Works just great in cities too. This is how I have adjusted my mirrors for over 10 years now. And now in India, it works great in cities where traffic tends to weave across lanes (marked and imaginary) and it's critical to check the blind spot. You can always see the edge of you car by leaning over a bit either way.

[pgupta]

Originally Posted by 71Convertible

Works just great in cities too. This is how I have adjusted my mirrors for over 10 years now. And now in India, it works great in cities where traffic tends to weave across lanes (marked and imaginary) and it's critical to check the blind spot. You can always see the edge of you car by leaning over a bit either way.

I tried setting up the mirror like this. Don't know if I did it right but could not see the side rear of my car anymore. So there is a blind spot where you will have bikers tailing you very closely in a traffic situation. And if I don't see them in the side view then setting mirrors like this does not solve the problem fully. It actually creates another blind spot.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by pgupta

I tried setting up the mirror like this. Don't know if I did it right but could not see the side rear of my car anymore. So there is a blind spot where you will have bikers tailing you very closely in a traffic situation. And if I don't see them in the side view then setting mirrors like this does not solve the problem fully. It actually creates another blind spot.

Actually this was my first reason to keep the ORVM at an acute angle; but once I set up the said way I feel I can see adequately through the IRVM unless the rear window visibility is that bad.

But did you try the experiment mentioned in the first post, in which a helper walks in a circle around the car?

[alphadog]

Thank you for the nice post.

When I took my driving test in the UK many years ago, it was imperative to check the mirrors and only then indicate and then move if things are clear. It was called the 'MSM' - Mirror- signal - move. This applied not only to changing lanes, but to other situations like pulling out into traffic from a stop, etc. During the driving test, one had to actually demonstrate this, and to be seen to be doing this. Otherwise it was a sure fail.
Although in India we are far from having robust driving tests like those in other countries,simple awareness campaigns of common mistakes and how to avoid them will go a long way in reducing the high rates of road accidents we have. Some lives might be saved.
Great post, I wish this would reach out to more motorists!.
Cheerio.

[D C]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

It is always frustrating when we spot fellow road users driving with their ORVMs folded. What is more frustrating and goes unnoticed is the fact that most road users have no idea how to correctly adjust the ORVMs. I am sure you know how it has to be correctly adjusted, but do read on. If not to learn the correct way, at least to reconfirm that you are already doing it right.

I have tried adjusting the mirror as mentioned on this thread and found it useful. The mirror still shows a very small portion of the car when I very slightly tilt my head, even when it is set at the farthest position.

The biggest benefit I see is that, this position practically creates no glare from the headlights of the vehicles behind, during night drives.

Also, I highly suggest to look over the shoulders as recommended by many on this discussion, it is not a good idea to use the mirrors alone to judge. I have many experiences that could have resulted in a crash if I had used the mirrors alone. Especially, this happens when we move to the center lane from either of the sides and someone else, traveling slightly behind us, decided to move to the center lane simultaneously from the other end.

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by D C

Also, I highly suggest to look over the shoulders as recommended by many on this discussion, it is not a good idea to use the mirrors alone to judge.

The article was only about proper adjustment of mirrors and not lane changing. That many have mentioned it, let me add my small bit to lane changing method. I use what is called the MIST principle -

M - Mirrors
I - Indicator
S - Shoulder
T - Turn

Looking over the shoulder is important when shifting lanes. No amount of mirror adjustment can replace that

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

The article was only about proper adjustment of mirrors and not lane changing. That many have mentioned it, let me add my small bit to lane changing method. I use what is called the MIST principle -



M - Mirrors

I - Indicator

S - Shoulder

T - Turn



Looking over the shoulder is important when shifting lanes. No amount of mirror adjustment can replace that

The correct order, as I was taught, mirror, shoulder, indicate, turn.
I.e
Check your mirror
look over your shoulder
Turn on your indicator
Turn

But MSIT doesnt sound so good, admittedly!

[condor]

http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobile...tml/?a=viewall

[asingh1977]

Tried this briefly for a while. Still could not see zooming bikers. Maybe it is not aligned correctly. Will try again. Honestly, if bikers rode rationally here, the side mirrors are really not needed..!

[Chinmayd]

This is a really good discussion. Really the basics of driving but something a lot of drivers don't always bother with or get it wrong.
Since I started driving I always made sure whenever I got behind the wheels, before starting the engine, all 3 mirror settings were satisfactory, the seat was adjusted for my height (hate my knees touching anything on the car), seat belts deployed and the doors are locked. However after a couple of close and one not so close incident I realized my mirror positioning had to change.

Now my preferred adjustment is for approx 5-10% of the ORVMs to display the body of my car. I find it handy since a majority of the Mumbai rickshaw drivers are mathematical geniuses who always manage to stop their vehicles precisely 2 inches behind. Also the inside mirror is adjusted at a slightly away angle. This gives better visibility of the left rear side, even a slight overlap with the left ORVM, but this was my weakest spot to start with.

I also feel the driver should not be able to see his own face in the inside mirror. No need for that when you are driving. Besides for those of us with pretty faces this can be a distraction .

I also try to read faces of other drivers through the mirrors, especially before changing lanes or overtaking. If I honk before overtaking and spot the driver looking back from his mirrors, I know he is aware of my presence/intention on the road. This is especially handy on the highways.

[Captain Haddock]

Tried this method and found it useful on wider roads but I think on narrow streets the biker who usually goes a few MM away from the mirror will be missed on the side mirrors. I did some googling on this topic and found out that this method was introduced in North America which has interstate highways that are very wide but even there a check through windows is recommended. I think if we are initiating a turn a check through the window is unavoidable so I think this method though innovative is rather redundant.