Blind spot mirror

Makes a lot of sense.

 

This is a real sore point of mine. What type, Brand, Store?
After the accident I had a Yaris, it didn’t turn me on, but, It had fantastic side mirrors, no blind spots, naturally
wide with no distortion.

 

Well, I don't think the brand and all matters much (just the size and the fact that they are round). Similar mirrors are made by many manufacturers and they are more or less fungible goods with slight variations. It's kind of like saying I use 87 octane fuel, and someone asking what brand. I haven't found that the brand is very important in mirrors or gas (especially for gas in California). There are plenty of particulars you might want different. You might prefer pivoting (adjustable) ones, or you might want chrome edges. My left one pivots, but I wouldn't want the right one to pivot because if it became misaligned, it would be hard for the driver to adjust.

Since you seem interested, below are the links to the ones I bought. I must caution you that you don't always get the exact ones you see in the descriptions when you buy these mirrors on Amazon, and I don't know you'd end up with the same ones I bought even buying them from these links. I bought at least 6 different pairs, and at least half varied from their descriptions. Also, some had defects, some didn't. Had I it to do over, I'd probably try to find them at a local store.

I've tried twice to get the links to show up in this post, and for some reason it isn't working. I believe the brand name for both is CIPA.

3 inch:

3.5 inch (they are listed as 3.75", but the ones I received are actually 3.5"):

 

Thankyou.

 

If you follow this you shouldn’t need these things.

 

There seems to be a lot of vehement resistance to using blind spot mirrors, but this idea that you can adjust your factory mirrors outward is simply not an answer to everything a blind spot mirror can do. Ultimately, if someone doesn't like blind spot mirrors, they shouldn't use them.

What the article you linked to says is all well and good, but none of that will, for instance, show you the lines on the sides of a parking space as you park or clearly let you see just how close your wheels are to a curb when parallel parking. I find my blind spot mirrors to be very helpful, both for parking and for seeing things that might be very close in to the side of my car like bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, etc. No amount of adjusting the factory mirrors will let you see everything a blind spot mirror lets you see.

 

I agree with what you’re saying. I’m not opposed to others buying these mirrors. I just personally believe that they encourage lazy/poor driving behavior. These cars are pretty small and low to the ground. I can feel its four corners and don’t see how another mirror can aid my ability to navigate it.

Now if this were a truck or an suv I’d absolutely get a blind spot mirror.

 

I understand. And I don't think that people should have to use them. My main concern is that when you turn your mirrors out far enough to see cars that might be in your blind spot, you risk creating a blind spot close in to the side of your car. In Southern California, it is not uncommon to have bicyclists, for example, squeeze through on the edge of your vehicle even when there is really no room left in the lane. And lane splitting by motorcyclists has been made legal, though not at the speeds motorcyclists use.

I'm not sure how they would encourage "lazy" or "poor" driving habits. If you have them, you're not going to look over your shoulder as much when you change lanes, but, if they are placed properly, that's only because you don't need to. I suppose you could call that lazy, but I would term it superior. If you're looking over your shoulder, you're looking completely away from the road ahead of you, and that is a disadvantage.

 

Even though I have my mirrors adjusted as the SAE suggests, I still worry a bit about a car being hidden in a spot I can't quite see with a quick glance in the mirrors, so I actually lean forward slightly each time I look so that I increase the angle of my view outwards even farther, and only then do I feel completely comfortable with there being no car there. I never did get in the habit of looking over my shoulder as I don't feel comfortable doing so. I do get the idea that the small convex mirrors give a really good view close in and downwards, the latter being really handy for seeing parking lines on either side and curbs on the right side when parallel parking. In lieu of having one of the small mirrors on the right side, I sometimes use the motor in the passenger mirror to angle the mirror downwards so I can see how close the curb is to my beautiful Wedsport SA-15Rs.

 

For a Prius forum I'm actually surprised at the lack of use of blind spot mirrors and quite frankly ignorance to those that use them. I recently bought a prime and haven't put on my blind spot mirrors and I've resorted back to checking my shoulder. On my 07 I had the circular ones and never had to check my shoulder, could speed in and out of parking sports because I could see the lines and how close to the vehicle I was, and parallel park like no other because I could see the curb.

To say people that use them are "lazy" or inferior drivers is just down right ignorant, especially when trying to say the BSM system is fool proof. Using a computer is lazy, a computer will fail, and a computer will not tell you what is actually there. If you have a chance to look at the BSM indicator you can look at a blind spot mirror and actually see what is there.

Sara, thank you for posting yours, I think they look good with the stock mirror as opposed to my old circular ones and will give them a try.

 

Even though it's true that adjusting your mirrors properly and using them properly should make a blind spot mirror unneeded. I still think blind spot mirrors are great.
Blind Spot Monitors, Mirrors, Blind Spot Mirrors are all just tools. My feeling is, even properly adjusted mirrors can get knocked out of adjustment.
If a blind spot mirror, saves me 1 accident? Allows me to see one vehicle I might miss? Worth it.

If you don't want to use them? Don't use them. But I think they are of value.

 

I found these for $7.36 and love them so far.

Installed the driver's side w/ the adjustable base and the passenger side is fixed. Removed OEM double sided foam tape and used commercial grade 3M double sided tape (rated for automotive trim), after reading some comments by Amazon customers.

 

I adjust my mirrors according to the CarTalk Method (https://www.cartalk.com/content/avoiding-blind-spot-1)

- it's about the only really useful piece of information I've found on CarTalk. I well remember when I first started listening to Ray & Tom about 35 years ago when their programme was local on WBUR here in the NE, long before CarTalk became syndicated nationwide, and the TappetBrothers became celebrities, and their programme degenerated into what it is now, just a LaughFest with TheChuckleBrothers. The link still works, and their method for setting up mirrors is pretty good, but I must add one of the best way of dealing with anything made of glass, whether it be drinking, spectacles, windshields, or lights, is to CLEAN IT! (see threads passim re. cleaning windshields) - hope this helps - Wil

 

Look at post 11 in this very thread.

 

Yes, you're absolutely correct! …and a peek at post #10 will prove that it is indeed true that as you age, your memory goes…

 

All my cars have had them.
I bought the biggest round ones I could find.
They help a great deal with parking and avoiding the curb.
When changing lanes, no need to turn my cracked neck.

 

I like these.

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