How Blind Spots Affect Each Driver and How to Stay Safe
Driving requires constant awareness of your surroundings, but there’s one challenge every driver faces—blind spots. Blind spots are areas around your vehicle that you can’t see using your rearview or side mirrors, making them a significant risk factor for accidents. Whether you're a new driver or someone with years of experience, it’s essential to understand how blind spots can impact your driving and how you can stay safe on the road. At Get Drivers Ed, we focus on teaching drivers of all experience levels how to recognize and manage blind spots to ensure safe driving practices.
In this blog, we’ll dive into what blind spots are, how they affect each driver, and most importantly, how to minimize the risks they pose to your safety.
1. What Are Blind Spots?
Understanding Blind Spots
Blind spots are areas around a vehicle that a driver cannot see using their rearview or side mirrors. These spots can be dangerous because a driver may not realize that another vehicle, cyclist, or pedestrian is in their blind spot, leading to potential collisions when changing lanes, turning, or merging. Every vehicle has blind spots, but their size and location vary depending on the type of car, truck, or motorcycle you're driving.
While adjusting your mirrors properly can help reduce the size of your blind spots, they will always exist. That’s why learning how to check blind spots manually by turning your head and looking over your shoulder is a critical part of safe driving. At Get Drivers Ed, we emphasize the importance of checking your blind spots, especially when making lane changes or merging onto highways.
Why Are Blind Spots Dangerous?
Blind spots pose a danger to both the driver and other road users. Not being aware of what's in your blind spot can lead to:
Accidental lane changes: Without checking blind spots, a driver might change lanes directly into another vehicle, causing a side-impact collision.
Merging issues: Merging onto highways or changing lanes in heavy traffic can be particularly dangerous if you don't account for blind spots.
Reduced reaction time: If you don’t see something in your blind spot, you won't have enough time to react to avoid a potential accident.
The team at Get Drivers Ed teaches drivers how to avoid these hazards by understanding their vehicle’s blind spots and learning how to monitor them effectively.
2. How Blind Spots Affect Each Type of Driver
New Drivers
For new drivers, learning to manage blind spots can be challenging because they are still developing their overall awareness of the road. Many new drivers may over-rely on their mirrors, forgetting to physically turn their head to check for vehicles or obstacles in their blind spots. This is a common mistake but one that can be easily corrected with proper training.
At Get Drivers Ed, our online drivers ed course focuses on helping new drivers build safe driving habits, including how to check their blind spots properly. We provide practical tips and exercises to help teens and new drivers become more confident in monitoring their surroundings.
Experienced Drivers
Experienced drivers are generally more aware of their blind spots, but complacency can sometimes set in. After years of driving, some may develop bad habits, such as failing to check blind spots before lane changes or relying too heavily on mirrors. It’s important to stay vigilant and continue practicing safe driving behaviors, no matter how experienced you are.
Get Drivers Ed encourages all drivers, regardless of their experience, to consistently practice checking their blind spots, especially in high-traffic areas or during busy commutes.
Truck and SUV Drivers
Larger vehicles like trucks and SUVs tend to have more significant blind spots compared to smaller vehicles. Drivers of these larger vehicles often have limited visibility directly behind and to the sides of their vehicles, which can be dangerous when backing up or merging onto highways.
For drivers of trucks and SUVs, it’s even more crucial to understand the limitations of their mirrors and take extra care when checking their blind spots. Get Drivers Ed covers the unique challenges that come with driving larger vehicles in our course, offering strategies to compensate for the increased blind spot areas.
Motorcycle Riders
Motorcycle riders face unique challenges when it comes to blind spots. Their smaller size makes them harder for drivers of larger vehicles to see, meaning motorcyclists are more likely to end up in someone else’s blind spot. Motorcycle riders must be extra cautious when riding alongside larger vehicles and should make sure to position themselves where they are visible to other drivers.
At Get Drivers Ed, we also offer guidance on how drivers can be more mindful of motorcyclists on the road, teaching them how to double-check blind spots and look out for smaller vehicles.
3. How to Check and Manage Blind Spots
Proper Mirror Adjustment
One of the first steps to minimizing the risk posed by blind spots is to adjust your mirrors correctly. While mirrors won’t eliminate blind spots completely, they can reduce them significantly. Here’s how to adjust your mirrors for maximum visibility:
Side Mirrors: Position your side mirrors so that you just barely see the edge of your car. This allows you to cover more of the lanes next to you, minimizing the blind spot on either side.
Rearview Mirror: Your rearview mirror should be centered so you have a full view out of your back windshield. This mirror is essential for monitoring what’s happening behind you but won’t help much with side blind spots.
Even with properly adjusted mirrors, you should always turn your head and look over your shoulder to check your blind spots before changing lanes, merging, or making turns. This extra step ensures that you don’t miss anything lurking in your blind spot that your mirrors didn’t catch.
To check your blind spot:
Left Side: Look over your left shoulder to ensure no vehicles are in the lane you’re moving into.
Right Side: Look over your right shoulder to check for any vehicles or cyclists that may be in your blind spot before making a lane change or right turn.
This manual check takes only a second and can prevent accidents that result from not seeing another vehicle in your blind spot.
Utilizing Blind Spot Detection Systems
Many newer vehicles are now equipped with blind spot detection systems that use sensors to alert you when another vehicle is in your blind spot. These systems typically flash a light or give an audible warning when something is detected. While these systems are helpful, they should not be relied upon as your only method of checking blind spots. Manual checks and properly adjusted mirrors remain essential.
At Get Drivers Ed, we encourage drivers to use all available tools, including modern safety technologies, but never to neglect their own visual checks.
4. Staying Safe Around Other Drivers’ Blind Spots
Avoid Driving in Other Vehicles’ Blind Spots
It’s not just about checking your own blind spots—being aware of other drivers' blind spots is just as important. You should always avoid driving in another vehicle’s blind spot, especially when driving alongside trucks, buses, or large SUVs.
If you find yourself driving in another vehicle’s blind spot, either slow down to give them space or speed up to pass them safely. When passing a large truck, remember that they have much bigger blind spots than a regular car, so stay visible and avoid lingering.
Be Mindful of Lane Changes
When driving in traffic, keep an eye on the vehicles around you, particularly if they start to change lanes. Drivers may not always check their blind spots before changing lanes, so always be prepared to react if someone suddenly swerves into your lane.
Conclusion: Drive Safely with Get Drivers Ed
Blind spots are a reality for every driver, but by understanding how they affect you and others on the road, you can significantly reduce the risk they pose. Always adjust your mirrors correctly, check your blind spots manually, and be mindful of other drivers’ blind spots. At Get Drivers Ed, we teach comprehensive defensive driving techniques that help drivers stay aware of their surroundings and prevent accidents.
If you’re ready to take the next step in becoming a safer, more confident driver, enroll in our online drivers ed course today. Let us help you master the skills you need to stay safe on the road!
