Side Mirror Adjustment - Safe Driving Aid

Some of the most serious preventable accidents occur because of blind spots while driving! Now there is a remarkable simple solution discovered by an engineer named George Platzer.

First, forget how we learned to adjust our outside mirrors by plopping behind the steering wheel and turning the mirrors so that we just saw the side of our car looking back at us in the mirrors. Instead, adjust the driver's side mirror by resting your head against the driver's side window and then turning the mirror so that you just see the side of your car.

Once this is set, move to the center of the vehicle and turn the passenger side mirror so that you can just see the side of your car from the center of the vehicle.

That's it. You won't see your own car in either mirror, yet what you will see is far better. Cars behind you show up as usual in the inside rear-view mirror above the dash, but the instant the car leaves your field of vision from the rear-view mirror the outside mirror picks it up. No blind spot; no delays; no wondering where that car about to pass you has disappeared to, and no waiting a few seconds for the car that you just saw in your rear-view mirror to show up in your outside mirrors.

All three mirrors work in harmony with one another, and the blind spot has been eliminated!
The National Safety Council has commented on Mr. Platzer's idea as follows:

"...His theory on leaning to the left and placing your head against the window is okay. However, physically moving the body to the center of the vehicle can create a big problem. Once the right side mirror is adjusted and you move back under the steering wheel your body is not properly aligned with the mirror. This causes several difficulties with what the mirror shows, depending on the size of the vehicle... In 1992 George Platzer had his idea published in "Popular Science". But by then he had changed his original theory to agree with us. The article stated: 'Moving your head to the center line of the car . . .' Here you see that he changed from the physical move to leaning to the right as we had recommended to him... When looking at the power point, note that this is only good for vehicles with three mirrors. This means that trucks, buses, vans, SUV's and pickup trucks with campers on them will not do well with what is being suggested. In those vehicles it is necessary the see the edge of the rear of the vehicle to do a proper backing procedure..