How to Properly Position & Use Car Mirrors

Mirrors aren&#;t a major discussion point when learning how to drive or when taking your driver&#;s test, and yet they are the main cause behind merge and lane-changing accidents. Sometimes they are talked about, but often the wrong instructions are provided.

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If your mirrors aren&#;t positioned properly, you could have huge blind spots, big enough for a truck to fit into. Luckily, you can eliminate blind spots completely by learning how to properly position and use your vehicle&#;s mirrors.

Are your mirrors positioned correctly?

How to Properly Position Vehicle Mirrors to Remove Blind Spots

Many drivers think that they should be able to see the side of their car when driving. While you may have a better view of the area right next to your car, your side-view mirror should show you what&#;s in the lane next to yours. You should not be able to see the side of your car while driving.

Following these steps will eliminate most, if not all, of your vehicle&#;s blind spots; however, you may still have a blind spot. After adjusting your car mirrors to the correct position, check to see where your blind spot is.

DRIVING SAFETY: Mirror adjustments will improve your ability to see the road, however, it should not replace checking over your shoulders for traffic. You should always glance over your shoulder when merging, changing lanes, or making any lateral movement.

1. Adjust Your Seat

Before adjusting the vehicle&#;s mirrors, make sure you are sitting in the proper position for driving. Refer to your owner&#;s manual if you don&#;t know where your seat adjusters are located.

Move the seat forward and back, and up and down (if your car has this adjustment option). You should be able to comfortably reach the gas pedal, brake pedal, and if necessary, the clutch pedal.

Once you have adjusted your seat, buckle your seatbelt before positioning your mirrors. This ensures you are in the same position as when you are actually driving.

DRIVING SAFETY: Always buckle up when driving.

2. Adjust Rearview Mirror

Check the rearview mirror positioning every time you get in the car and every time you change seat adjustments. Since vehicle vibrations can cause the mirror to move in small increments, you may also need to adjust the rearview mirror after you start driving.

DRIVING SAFETY: Only make rearview mirror adjustments when the vehicle is stopped. Check your rearview mirror every time you time you get in the driver&#;s seat.

When using this mirror, you want to be able to see as much of the back window as possible, using only your eyes, not your head. Sit in your normal driving position and adjust the rearview mirror in small movements until you can see clearly out of the back window.

For drivers taller than 6 feet: You may want to flip the mirror upside down. This can raise the bottom edge of the mirror a few inches, helping to eliminate a major blind spot.

What you should see:

• The road behind you.
• The horizon line.
• A little space above the horizon line.
• Try to see the entire rear window.

Do not angle the mirror so you can see more of one side of the road. If you are trying to see more of one side of the road, use your side-view mirrors. The rearview mirror should show a straight, even image of the back window.

DRIVING SAFETY: Check your rearview mirror every 5-8 seconds. By constantly referencing your rearview mirror, you&#;ll know who is passing you, who has already passed you, and who is acting sporadically or dangerously behind you. Check your mirrors often!

3. Adjust Side-View Mirrors

You don&#;t want to see the side of your car; you want to see the car in the lane next to you. Adjusting your side-view mirrors in the following fashion will show you more of the lanes next to you.

Driver&#;s Side Window:

To adjust the driver&#;s side-view mirror, lean your head over to the driver&#;s side window until it makes contact with the glass. From there, adjust the driver&#;s side-view mirror until you can barely see the back corner of the car.

Passenger&#;s Side Window:

To adjust the passenger&#;s side-view mirror, lean the same distance toward the passenger&#;s side window (about as far as you can lean comfortably) and adjust the side-view mirror the same way&#;make sure you can see a little bit of the back corner of the car.

Side-View Mirror Adjustments:

Once you have adjusted your side-view mirrors this way, sit back in a normal position and make small changes from there.

Set your mirrors so that as soon as the passing car disappears from your rearview mirror, it shows up in your side-view mirror. You may need to make some small adjustments to get everything lined up.

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This new position may take some time getting used to, but hopefully it greatly expands your vision of the road and eliminates all of your blind spots!

How to Properly Use Your Mirrors 

• Look in your mirror every time you stop or start, pass a car, turn, merge, switch lanes, pull over.
• Check your rearview mirror every 5-8 seconds.
• Check your mirrors every time you get in the driver&#;s seat and readjust (if necessary)
• Use your mirrors more often in irregular and high-traffic situations. The mirrors will help you navigate a difficult driving situation.
• If you have an anti-glare function on your rearview mirror, consider activating it at night to reduce the glare effect from headlights behind you.

Remember M.S.M.O.G.

When changing lanes:

• Mirror (rearview mirror)
• Signal
• Mirror (side-view mirror)
• Over your shoulder
• Go 

With these settings and instructions, you shouldn&#;t have any blind spots. Test your blind spot while driving to see if cars transition seamlessly from your rearview mirror to your side-view mirror.

Always check the mirrors before driving. You never know if they have been moved or if you were sitting in a different position since the last time you drove.

Remember, even perfectly positioned mirrors sometimes cannot eliminate all blind spots. Make sure you look over your shoulder before making any lateral moves.

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Up there with ensuring your car is safe to drive, and having the right insurance in place, one of the most important parts of safe driving and avoiding accidents is being aware of your surroundings. We do this by checking our mirrors (and blind spots). Between &#; , checking mirrors when changing direction came in 2nd of the top 10 reasons as to why people failed their driving test. Insufficient observation at junctions and not using mirrors effectively when changing direction accounted for 368,047 test failures during this time &#; that&#;s a lot of people not passing for something really simple &#; but don&#;t worry, we&#;re here to help!

In this episode of the Driving Instructor Masterclass, Chris Bensted is going to talk you through mirror observations &#; giving you top tips and advice on checking those mirrors to ensure you aren&#;t marked down for this on your test. Check out his handy video:

How to adjust your car mirrors

In order to adjust your mirrors correctly you need to do the following:

1. Sit in the driver seat and ensure the seat and steering wheel position is comfortable for you. You need to have clear and easy access to the gear lever and be able to reach the pedals comfortably.
2. Gently move the rear-view mirror so you can see directly out the middle of the back of the car without moving your head. The goal is that you&#;ll be able to quickly glance up and see what is happening behind you, without having to move your head or body
3. Locate how you move the door mirrors. Some cars will have electronic buttons meaning you can control both door mirrors from the driver&#;s side. Other cars have small levers on each side, with are using to manually move each mirror
4. Adjust the driver&#;s side mirror first. Again, sit in the comfortable position you have found and move the mirror to ensure you can clearly see the road next to you and a small sliver of the car
5. Next you need to adjust the passenger door mirror. Again, you should be able to see part of the road and the space outside as well as a small sliver of the car. You may need to switch to and from the passenger and driver&#;s seat to do this, or ask a friend to move it for you whilst you check the positioning from the driver&#;s seat
6. And you&#;re done! Sit back in the driver&#;s seat and make sure you can see clearly out of all the mirrors you have adjusted and amend if not. You&#;ll need to ensure the mirrors are checked every time you get in the car, and are moved should your seating position change before you set off

Which mirrors do I check and when?

Using your mirrors regularly is an essential part of driving safely. You must be aware of what is happening around you, so you can make decisions based off this. Which mirrors you use will depend on your situation on what you plan on doing next

Before any manoeuvre, you should always check your mirrors &#; including:

• Pulling away: Check your internal mirror to see what is going on behind you, check all the outside mirrors and check your blind spot
• Changing lanes: Check the interior mirror, then all outside mirrors and the blind spot of the direction you&#;re going
• Overtaking: Check all your mirrors, especially the right wing mirror to ensure the path is clear. You also need to check your right side blind spot
• Turning left: Check the interior mirror to see what is behind you before turning, then your left door mirror. You should also check your interior mirror once you have performed the manoeuvre
• Turning right: Check the interior mirror to see what is behind you before turning, then your right door mirror. You should also check your interior mirror once you have performed the manoeuvre
• Slowing down/Stopping: Check your interior mirror to see what is behind you before slowing down or stopping. Someone following you too closely may fail to stop when you start to brake. Checking your mirrors means you may have to slow down more gently if there is someone too close to you
• Opening doors: Check your mirrors and blind stop before opening your car door &#; there may be other cars/pedestrians around and you may have to wait for them to pass

Where are the biggest risks to not checking your mirrors?

You&#;ll most likely forget to check your mirrors in your driving test because of the nerves &#; it can make you forget even the most basic of skills. It may be easy to think that there are no real consequences of not checking your mirrors but when you&#;re driving, they&#;re essential and not checking them correctly can be fatal.

Swapping lanes in front of another car, are braking harshly without checking who is being you, not checking your blind spots etc, can all lead to collisions either with other road users or pedestrians. Whilst this is unlikely to occur in a driving lesson (your instructor or accompanying driver will be keeping a good eye out), when you&#;ve passed your test and you&#;re on your own, doing these checks yourself is essential.

Make sure you show you're able to check your mirrors and blind spots yourself on your test and we're sure you'll pass! 

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