Mirror setup and blind spots: before you park

What is a blind spot?

Blind spots are the areas you cannot see when looking straight ahead or in your mirrors. In most cars they sit beside the car, slightly behind the driver. To see them, turn your head and look over your shoulder through the side windows, without turning your body or the steering wheel.

Rear-view mirror

From your normal seating position, set it so you see straight through the middle of the rear window without moving your head.

Side mirrors: the BGE method

In the Blindzone-Glare Elimination (BGE) method referenced by the US road safety agency NHTSA, the side mirrors point roughly 15° further out than the traditional setting. The mirrors then show the next lane rather than the side of your own car.

1. Left mirror: rest your head against the left window. Set the mirror so the left side of your car is just visible.
2. Right mirror: move your head towards the middle of the car. Set the mirror so the right side of your car is just visible.
3. Return to your normal position. You should now see little or none of your own car in the side mirrors; that is expected.

Test your setup

Watch a car overtaking you. With the right setting it appears in the side mirror before it leaves the rear-view mirror, and in your peripheral vision before it leaves the side mirror. If it vanishes in between, adjust a little more. A side benefit: at night, headlights behind you reflect less in the side mirrors.

The shoulder check still matters

This setting shrinks the blind spot but does not remove it. NHTSA’s current guidance still recommends looking over your shoulder before changing lanes. The California driver handbook lists these moments for a shoulder check:

• Changing lanes, turning at junctions and merging into traffic
• Reversing, parallel parking and pulling out of a parking space
• Pulling away from the kerb and opening your door

On the Turkish driving test form, not checking your mirror settings when getting in and not looking over your shoulder when pulling out of a space are yellow faults; not checking traffic in the mirrors when pulling out is a red fault.

Mirrors are not enough when reversing

The UK Highway Code (Rule 202) says to check all mirrors and the blind spot behind you before reversing, go slowly, and look mainly through the rear window. Remember that the front of the car swings out as you steer. If you cannot see properly, get someone to guide you, and do not reverse further than necessary.

Some car models tilt the side mirror down when you select reverse, making the kerb easier to see. Not every car has this, and it can usually be switched on or off in the settings; check your owner’s manual.