Switching lanes raises my blood pressure

You still get more field of vision if you remove them completely.

 

Maybe, but learning to adjust your outside mirrors to eliminate the blind spots is a must do, otherwise you will be at a high risk of accident plus your anxiety level will stay high.

 

I use wedge blind spot mirrors on all of my vehicles. Place them on the INSIDE part of the bottom of the mirror. I don't understand people mounting any of these to the outer part of the mirror that is already in use. All I see in the bottom inside of my mirror (without a wedge) is the side of the car (which I use for reference). I understand readjusting the mirror to negate a blind spot, but I like to be able to gauge where something is beside of me by seeing it in relation to my car.
I am so addicted to these wedge blind spot mirrors, that I will carry a set with me when I travel to attach to rental cars.
I don't feel safe without them!
Ron

 

By adjusting your mirrors to eliminate blind spots, you have to trust what you see is actually there in your blindspot. The side of your car is still there when you don't see it, but if you see another car, it's in your "blindspot". Driving my v with my mirrors adjusted properly, I have more confidence about what it around me. I can see cars behind me and beside me at all times. When the car behind me is going faster than I am, once it leaves my the view of my rear view mirror, it's showing up on my side mirrors. There's no need to gauge anything. If it's showing up in the side mirror, then you can't (shouldn't) change lanes until the view is clear, unless you like bending fenders!

 

I have a perfect view of other cars as well, no matter where they are.
It's neither here nor there, as long as we are being as safe as we can without straining our necks!

 

I'm not against blind spot mirrors, but they distort distances too. "Objects are closer than they appear".

Most drivers will use what works for them and for the most part be safe on the roads. But when someone writes that their blood pressure rises when they need to change lanes, I'm wondering if they should be driving at all. Are they the same drivers that won't go through a 4-way stop sign intersection until everyone else has gone through - waving everyone else through even when it's their turn to go and making everyone behind them wait? Or won't turn right on a green light when they have the right of way, if they see someone coming from the other direction who has their left turn signal on? These drivers confuse other drivers around them, and create potentially unsafe conditions because other driver can't predict their behavior when they're not following the rules of the road.

 

I use mirror settings as described earlier in this thread. Recently I had the headrests folded and the rear seats down and just left the headrests that way when I put the seats back up, as I rarely have anyone sit back there. I thought it would aid visibility but I haven't really noticed much difference. In looking over my right shoulder out the rear passenger side window, the headrest isn't in the way, and I don't think it would be even in the up position. Perhaps visibility is affected significantly by the size and seating position of the driver. I'm slightly over 6' and tend to sit high and back from the wheel. I also have the seat ratcheted up fairly high.
All that having been said, I don't find the Prius much better or worse than other cars visibility-wise. I've noticed as I've gotten older more of a problem in parking lots scanning all directions for pedestrians and other cars. On the freeways at least we're all supposed to be going in the same direction!

 

I have a honda fit and gen 3 Prius too. I agree the fit has better visibility. After a couple months I got used to the Prius and now I can switch lanes on the freeway without stress. I can see everything. It is kind of a muscle memory thing. The visibility does suck. I often wonder about the safety of people renting Prius and not being able to see out of the back.

 

The Prius has terrible visibility to the rear. That is my only problem. In parking lots when people walk behind the car and backing up, just terrible visibility.

 

I did a mod where the turn signal activates the rear camera and can also be turned on while driving. More info can be found here How about blind spot monitor | PriusChat

 

yes it does.

 

folding down the rear seat increases interior noise a bit.

 

I always wait until I can see the overtaken vehicle in the central rear view mirror.

 

Little rectangular blind-spot mirrors I got at Amazon work great for me.

 

Pasaman, maybe you were over dramatizing when you started this thread, but from how it reads, it appeared that's it more than just "difficult" with blind spots. I encounter other drivers frequently who flip on their left/right turn signal to change lanes and then hesitate because they're unsure if they should "go" or not, and then observe as they contort their body, frantically looking in their mirrors at all weird angles, and many times not even glancing over their shoulders before they attempt a lane change. What that indicates to me is; 1) they're not very aware of what is going on around them - only what's directly in front and behind them and 2) when they realize they need to change lanes or exit or whatever, only then do they try to ascertain the surrounding traffic. Once they do change lanes, I sometimes observe they have a sense of relief like "whew - I made it" then settle back into their seat and proceed clueless down the road. And yet day in and day out they continue to drive on our roads without doing anything to fix their problem.

Each car is different, but I found the blind spot issue no more difficult in my previous 2010 Liftback than any other car I've owned. Unless you're driving a van or large truck without rear windows, blind spots occur in the same place with almost all vehicles. The problem is not the car, it's the pilot in the driver's seat. It's an issue that can be remedied by the various methods outlined.

 

The op said he has a Honda Fit lift back that is much easier to see out of. The Prius with the split rear window and giant quarter panels is unusually hard to see out of. In my opinion. I drove an older scion Xb the other day and was very impressed with the excellent visibility. I thought too bad my Prius is not this easy to see out of.

 

Adding to the issue is the position of the window/door frame in relation to the drivers seating position. It's not conducive to a quick glance over the shoulder. All you're really seeing is the door pillar. Hence the need for the convex mirror.

 

Can you please make that available?

Nexus 4 ?