ANSWERS: 1
  • Positioning the wing mirrors or side mirrors on your car is crucial to safe driving. If your wing mirrors are positioned too wide, you increase your blind spot and inhibit your ability to view cars behind you. If your wing mirrors are turned too far inwards, you won't be able to see cars passing on the side. It's especially important to have your wing mirrors positioned correctly when driving on multi-lane highways where having accurate peripheral vision is essential.

    Before Adjusting Your Mirrors

    It's a good idea to check your mirrors and adjust them accordingly every time you sit in the driver's seat, especially if other members of your family also use the car. Before doing so, adjust your seat and steering wheel so that you are high enough to see the road and can easily reach all of the dashboard controls, the gas and brake pedals. Most cars these days allow you to adjust your seat, and many let you change the positioning of the steering wheel and even the pedals. Make sure you are comfortable and feel in control.

    Driver's Side Mirror

    While in the driver's seat, lean your head and torso to the left until your head hits the window. Adjust your left mirror so that you can just barely make out your fender in the reflection. If you can see more than the edge of the fender in your wing mirror, it is positioned too narrowly. Make sure you can clearly see the road in the mirror. You may need to adjust the mirror vertically to achieve this.

    Passenger Side Mirror

    Now lean to the right with your head and torso about the same distance that you did for the driver's side mirror. Again, you should barely be able to make out the edge of the car's fender in the inside edge of the mirror. Position the mirror vertically so that you can clearly see as much of the road as possible while keeping the edge of your fender visible. This will ensure that your mirrors are not positioned too widely, which would give you a larger blind spot.

    While Driving

    At this point your wing mirrors should be well positioned so you can drive safely. With these mirrors adjusted correctly, you'll find that you don't have to turn your head nearly as much and can focus more on other things. Try to avoid adjusting your mirrors in high-risk situations like heavy traffic, city driving and in bad weather. To be on the safe side, pull over to a gas station or driveway and readjust your mirrors. Remember to use your wing mirrors to see what's passing on the side and use your central rear view mirror to see what's behind you.

    Source:

    SmartMotorist: Adjusting Your Mirrors Correctly

    PopularMechanics: Read View Mirrors Adjustment

    Linquest: How To Adjust Your Mirrors

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