Too old to drive

[Koolau]

Absolutely.

1) Adjust mirrors and use that as first step.
2) If you have BSM, check.
3) Quickly turn your head and double (triple) check.

I remember in driver's ed class one of the students turned his head and just started looking backwards for what seemed like 5 seconds, while our driver's ed teacher calmly grabbed the wheel and brought us back from certain death.

He then explained the concept of a glance versus a look.

My Driver's Ed was so long ago that we had a '63 or '64 Ford. The front seats had seat belts, but the back seats did not. When not driving, the other students were in the back. One young lady who never quite caught on hit the brakes so hard the back seat passengers hit the back of the front seat. My knee hit a metal bracket on the seat back. I could hardly walk for a couple of days. Nothing the instructor could do. He kept the young lady out of accidents, but she often hit the brake like that and I got used to protecting my knee from that metal piece.

Oh, and we drove both manual and automatic cars! How cool is that?

 

[FIYes]

I have taken the AARP/AAA senior driving course for 55 and over a few times. In our state we get a small discount on auto insurance for taking the course. Setting the side view mirrors was one of the topics covered in the course…how to set to avoid a blind spot. The course was always well presented. I would recommend if it is offered in your area even if it doesn’t offer a small insurance discount.

 

[Ian S]

And yes, most people adjust their mirrors to show the side of the car, which essentially duplicates the rear view mirror. This is not best practice. The mirrors should point significantly away from the car. It is easy to test your adjustment. Just drive on the highway and let people pass you. Make sure you see the vehicle in the mirror as it moves from the rear view mirror to your peripheral vision as you look ahead. It should be visible during this gap time.

+1! Guess I'm not the only one who sets their mirrors this way! However, I still will turn my head to make sure.

 

[TheWizard]

+1! Guess I'm not the only one who sets their mirrors this way! However, I still will turn my head to make sure.

Well, maybe after you've been driving for a few more years, you'll start to trust what you see in your mirrors.
I got to that level around 1975 or so...