I came across these instructions for adjusting your automobile side mirrors to eliminate the notorius "blind spots" on each side. I've been trying it for a couple of weeks, and it seems to work quite well. So well that it makes me wonder why the practice hasn't spread.
I can remember clearly, back 25 years ago in driver's ed class, the instructor explaining how to set the side mirror (singular--this was before right-hand mirrors had become common), so that it showed a little bit of the side of your car. He even quizzed us as to why we should set it this way. The answer, of course, was to provide a reference point, or context, for what you were seeing. Now I see how misguided that practice is.
The best defense I can think of, other than tradition, is that by giving you a reference point, you can ascertain with an immediate, un-thinking glance even as you are pulling away, that your mirrors are adjusted as you expect. Whereas with the blind spot elimination technique, you can not verify so quickly and casually that the mirrors are set right; there is a brief calibration process that is needed, and it is definitely best undertaken while not in motion.
So, I find myself wondering whether this practice falls into the "safety feature that you are not sure whether you want to become dependent on" pattern. That is, if you get accustomed to this practice, will you be disciplined enough at all times--when driving someone else's car; when driving your spouse's car and you don't anticipate getting on a multi-lane road (which is typically when the blind spot becomes a consideration), but plans change, and you do--to take the time to perform the calibration?
(Some other cases of this pattern are: auto-shutoff irons, anti-lock brakes.)
10:46:56 PM 
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