Have you ever stopped to consider that the most valuable defensive driving capability you have at your disposal might very well be your mirrors?

There’s an old saying that many Ferrari owners use that goes some thing like “What’s-a-behind-you, she no matter!” While the adage may play into the forward velocity capability of powerful sports cars, it does not speak to driver blind spots or the idiots coming up behind you in traffic.

I originally published this article in 2001 and updated it again in 2004 after watching an accident unfold before my eyes on my way from San Diego to Los Angles.

Three weeks ago it happened again.  This time I was driving my son and three of his 6th grade classmates to Universal Studios Hollywood.

I watched the accident happen in front of me.  It was like slow motion video.  It continues to play through my mind.  A motorcyclist was riding along side another motorist in a small coupe who decided to make a quick dodge into the left lane.  Before the motorcyclist had a chance to react, the rear fender of the car clipped his front wheel and he went down.

I barely had time, or room, to move to the right to miss the downed rider and his bike.  At that instant, I was horrified to think I might run over this poor young man.   Looking in my rearview mirror, the freeway came to a stop. 

Was this accident avoidable?  You bet it was!  Neither the motorcycle rider nor the driver of the car were driving defensively.

EVALUATING MY DRIVING HABITS

Until a few years ago, I classified myself as one of the worst speeders on the road. I was not a weaver or a lane cutter, just a speeder. After getting two back-to-back tickets from California’s finest, I went to driving school as a way to lick my wounds.

Unlike other driving schools, the instructor of this course was a stand-up comedian. I rolled on the floor laughing, but what I took away from the class (besides sore ribs), was simply this:

“Watch for COPS!”

By the way, if you get a ticket and need assistance to clean up your record, try DrivingUniversity.com.  For on-line traffic school classes, visit TrafficSchoolOnline.com.

Watch for COPS! What a simple thing, right? Yeah, well, if it’s so easy why did you get your last traffic ticket?  Fact is, watching for COPS is not easy.

We were all taught to look in our mirrors frequently, but we get lazy and don’t practice this life saving skill.  Instead, we're on the cell phone, eating a Big Mac, playing with the GPS, or doing something else that's totally inappropriate while the vehicle is moving.

Watch for COPS! The statement is not as much about avoiding tickets as it is about being mindful of what’s going on around you on the road. How? Simple, really, look ahead, look behind, and look to your sides.  Do it often.  Be an active driver.

Most people rely on their mirrors most when they are changing lanes to avoid getting in another driver's way. If this is how you use your mirrors, then I’m afraid you’re missing the point and you’re well on your way to becoming yet another road casualty or killing someone else.

Proper mirrors are the defensive driver’s best weapon against idiots and COPS (no offense to our officers of civil peace). Proper use of mirrors is the skill of the defensive driver. Proper mirror adjustment comes from a defensive driver’s knowledge. Let’s discuss and explore mirrors, their proper use and proper adjustment in a little more detail.

PROPER MIRRORS

A proper mirror seems kind of obvious, doesn’t it? Heck, if you can see backwards, what more do you need?

I’ve always liked the side mirrors on my Porsche cars. They’re big, which flies in the face of most sports car makers. I didn’t realize just how nice big mirrors are until I got my 1995 BMW M3, which had tiny little aerodynamic pods with a couple of compact mirrors.  The BMW sport mirrors look fantastic, but they aren’t worth a darn for seeing anything behind you.

Proper mirrors give you full rear view coverage. You should be able to look in your rear view mirror and see the full width of the rear of your car and slightly to the sides.

A good rear view mirror will provide 90 to 110 degrees of visibility. Any less, and you’re driving blind. Likewise, the side view mirrors should provide 45 to 60 degrees of visibility off the sides of your car. The goal is to have as close to 180 degrees of rear view as possible.

One of the ways you can improve your rear view visibility is to add one or more “blind spot” mirrors or replace your rear view mirror with a larger mirror or a convex mirror.

A few years, on a trip to Mannheim, Germany, I discovered a little jewel called the "Autobahn Mirror". It’s a driver’s side blind spot mirror that attaches to the windshield (inside) at the same level as the side mirror. When correctly adjusted, this blind spot mirror gives the driver full view of any vehicle in the driver's side blind spot.

Designed in Stuttgart, Germany to aid in driving on the no-speed-limit Autobahn, the Autobahn blind spot mirror has been extensively tested.  In fact, on my last trip to Germany and Italy, I saw the mirror mounted in some of the police cars!

The benefit of the Autobahn Mirror design is that you can adjust your standard side view mirror farther out, and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to look to your side.

 

Over the years, the Autobahn Mirror has saved me from countless mishaps and  near-misses.  I now count it as the single most important accessory in my car. After witnessing two gruesome accidents that would have been avoided with better visibility, I have taken it upon myself to spread the word about this essential, life-saving device. I now import the mirror directly for my Sonus product line. The Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror has a list price of $24.99 and is sold through Sonus Car Care retailers.

PROPER MIRROR ADJUSTMENT

The positioning for the inside rear view mirror is mostly obvious. Simply align it so you have a clear view out of the rear window. I like to align mine a little off center to the right. This help to pick up the right hand blind spot. Also, be sure the day/night switch or lever is in the correct position.

Most people adjust their side view mirrors so they can see the side of the car on the inside edge of the mirror. This is incorrect. You know where the side of your car is, so why do you need to see it? Pulling the side view mirrors in too far limits your rear visibility and greatly overlaps what you can see through your rear view mirror.

The proper setting for side view mirrors is to adjust them slightly beyond the point where you can see the side of the car on the inside edge of the mirror. Positioned in this way, you can see more and remove one of the critical blind spots.

Where there is a vehicle present that isn't visible when checking the side view mirrors, the front of neighboring vehicle will likely be adjacent to your door. If you have a good rear view mirror or good peripheral vision, you’ll be able to spot it. If not, you will need to turn your head to the side or get a blind spot mirror.

One of the things I find most dangerous about having to turn my head to check for cars along side me is that my arms tend to follow. This wasn’t a problem in my dad’s 1972 Oldsmobile 98, but in a sports car it can be pretty dangerous. Sometimes if I sneeze hard I find myself in another lane. Woops! With well-positioned mirrors, your head won't have to turn as far to check for blind spots.

One of the significant benefits I’ve discovered with adjusting my side view mirrors wide is that merging into traffic is much easier. Likewise, as I pass on-ramps it’s easier to “Watch for COPS!” or anything else that might be coming out to get me. Speaking of merging, did you know that the best way to know you have adequate space to pull in front of another car is when you can see their headlights in your rear view mirror? If you can’t see the headlights, you might get flashed the high beams when you change lanes.

PROPER MIRROR USE

Okay, let’s review what we’ve learned so we can put it all together into proper mirror usage. First, we use good mirrors so we can… that’s right, “Watch for COPS!” Second, we keep our mirrors properly adjusted so we can… correct, “Watch for COPS!” So, pulling this all together, when driving we should be using our mirrors to… brilliant people, brilliant, we’re “Watching for COPS!”

All kidding aside, this isn’t a lesson on how to avoid traffic tickets. This is how I learned to become a very defensive driver. I spend more time on the road than most people. I average about 25,000 miles a year. In the past five or so years, I can count the number of times on my fingers that a Highway Patrol officer or Police Officer has snuck up on me. I’m very alert to what’s behind me. My rear view skills have saved me from several rear end accidents because I saw the idiots before they got me. And that’s my point, “Watch for COPS!” and save your rear end.

I have a very simple method for “Watching for COPS!” Every time someone passes me, I check my mirrors. If I see brake lights in front of me, I check my mirrors. When I pass someone, I check my mirrors. When I pass an off-ramp, I check my mirrors. When I pass an on-ramp, I check my mirrors (and look up the on-ramp for COPS!). When I want to change lanes, I check my mirrors, turn on my signal indicators, check my mirrors again, then I change lanes. These are all visual indicators that tell me the road has changed, so “Watch for COPS!”

SONUS BLIND SPOT MIRROR

I told you about the Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot mirror and how much I rely on it for safe driving, now I would like to show you exactly how it works.

The Sonus SideVUE Bind Spot Mirror is simple to install, requiring only a felt-tip marker and about three minutes to find the appropriate placement.  Follow these easy steps.

The Sonus SideVUE mirror snaps together.  Use one or both ball joint support arms, as necessary, to adjust the mirror to any position.  NOTE: the mirror comes packaged with two rubber shims that allow the ball joints to remain snug.  Don't loose the shims.

BLIND SPOT MIRROR ASSEMBLY

Assemble the Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror with one or both ball joint adjustment arms as necessary for your application.  Rubber shims keep the ball joint connections snug.

Locate the best location for the mirror.  Recommended placement is as low on the windshield as possible, not blocking forward vision.  Ideally, the SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror should be at the same level as the outside mirror, so both mirrors can be viewed with a single glance.

When you have decided the best placement, mark the location on the outside of the windshield with a marker.  Don't try to guess, as the adhesive is good for one application.

 

BLIND SPOT MIRROR PLACEMENT

Identify best placement and mark the location with a marker.

After marking the mounting location on the outside of the windshield, clean the inside mounting location with a quality glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol.  The glass must be absolutely clean and dry before attaching the mirror.

When mounting point is clean and dry, peel away the protective foil on the adhesive pad and push the mounting base into place.  Push firmly for several seconds.  NOTE: DO NOT install if the ambient temperature is below 60 degrees.  Heat car to temperature before installation.

 

BLIND SPOT MIRROR ATTACHMENT

Peel away the protective foil on the adhesive pad and push the mounting base into place.  Press firmly.Once your Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror is firmly mounted, adjust it for proper use.

The mirror is properly adjusted when you can see a car that has just passed out of the view of the outside mirror in your SideVUE mirror.  You should be able to see the back of a passing car in your outside mirror as the car comes clearly into view on your Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror.

 

PROPER BLIND SPOT MIRROR ADJUSTMENT

Adjust your outside mirror to view vehicles that are one or more car lengths behind you.  Adjust the mirror out to where the side of your car is only visible if you lean to the side slightly.

Adjust the Sonus SideVUE Blind Spot Mirror to show vehicles that are along side your car's rear quarter panel.  This is your "blind spot".

When properly adjusted, you will clearly see vehicles the entire time they are passing you.

There are many different kinds of blind spot mirrors available.  After using this device for more than seven years, and trying many others, I am convinced that this is the best design.  It offers the best adjustment capability and the shape of the mirror itself allows for a very long field of view.

 

SUMMARY

Good defensive driving requires you to know what’s going on around you. To know what’s about to happen, you need to be looking a few cars ahead of you as well as a few cars behind you. Being involved in an accident can be avoided if you train yourself to “Watch for COPS!”

Happy Motoring!