Some people cannot let go of the "orientation" they think they are getting when they see both sides of the car. It's only perception, but perception is reality for most people.
The last decent rear-view car we had was a '91 Accord, the thing was a veritable greenhouse. We switched to an '06 Civic (Hybrid) which was a definite downturn in visibity. Our current Prius is yet another down turn: split rear window, steeply raked upper porion with token wiper, forest of head rests, and broad roof pillars. I just don't trust what I see (or don't see) when shoulder checking. For insurance (besides signalling), I do my changes very gradually, while listening for the honks .
I'm no big fan of the bifurcated rear-view in the G3, and the car has appalling visibility for as much glass as it has however (comma!) as I said yesterday in another post.....there are very few "unsafe" cars. Sniveling, bed wetting attorneys just don't let that happen these days. Want proof? Easy. Go to a GM dealership and test drive a Camaro. Uh......just leave the Prius at home when you do. The sales person will KNOW that you have no intention of actually purchasing one, and contrary to popular belief in these parts GM owners actually know how to read and they know what Prius drivers think of them, their cars and the company. Any questions? Didn't think so. There are cars with worse visibility than the G3 and you know what??? They're all equipped with side and rear-view mirrors which when used properly (*cough-cough*!!!!!) will work just fine for collision avoidance. Hint: If you're one of those idiots that I see every day poking a piece of Gorilla Glass while you're trying to do the stick and rudder thing? Yeah.....YOU probably need an electronic aid for collision avoidance... PRIUS Unsafe???? YES!!! I see unsafe Priuses all the time. But it's not the car's fault!!!
Ah, I see your training is going well A couple of years ago our bank (USAA) made a hokey animation to help people understand why it is best not to overlap mirror fields. My wife watched it and proclaimed it not convincing. I figured she was not following the animation, so I googled up 3 or 4 sites that explained the issue in different ways, and sent her a list of links. She ignored them all. Last week she proclaimed that the Prius has poor visibility. I started to defend the car ... and then gave up.
They need to incorporate side mirror design like on Ford which has a built in mini blind sport mirror Ford has address this issue on all their cars & trucks take notice they have incorporated blind spot mirrors on side mirrors
I haven't had any issues even I have a dog barrier attached to the back seat headrests for my dogs to sit in the trunk.
Yes, I also turn the side mirrors outward to cover the blind spot. People who say they haven't noticed any blind spot on the Gen III Prius frighten me, since it has a LARGE BLIND SPOT (big enough to hide an entire vehicle). There's another blind spot in front caused by the A-pillar, which I've noticed while driving on curves and turning corners.
Not that I am saying there is an issue, but if you feel the need to get an extra wide view, try out a Broadway Mirror, they are JDM, you can find them on e-bay. They clip to your existing rearview mirror and eliminate all blind spots.
I nearly ran over someone in a costco parking lot because the wide left front pillar totally blocked my view of him. He was ahead and a little to the left and completely invisible. Luckily I was going slow and he jumped fast. I am super careful now to look all around that pillar.
Jared, same has happened to me in both of my Toyota vehicles. It's the wide A pillar that contains the airbag. The right A pillar has hidden approaching vehicles from the right when pulling out of an intersection.
Nobody seems to mention the other 2 blind spots. They are in front of all the Gen 3 Prius mirrors. Located at 45 degrees off the starboard bow and 30 degrees off the port bow and are caused by the "A" pillars.
