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A Few Comments on Safety for New Tesla Owners

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And yet your picture clearly shows blind spots big enough for a cyclist or pedestrian. I also suspect you'll find that those blind spots are a LOT larger than you think in real life, especially when you are using your rear view camera more than your mirror due to the seat headrests.

There's a reason that it's random you-tube videos suggesting this method, and not any driver's handbook. It's dangerous.

I don't think you understand how this method works. All you have to do is move your head and you can see into your "blind spot". You can never eliminate every hidden spot around your car, but turning your mirrors out is the best method if you don't have convex mirrors.
 
I don't think you understand how this method works. All you have to do is move your head and you can see into your "blind spot". You can never eliminate every hidden spot around your car, but turning your mirrors out is the best method if you don't have convex mirrors.
Do you move your head each time you change lanes, turn, etc? I would be willing to bet that you don't bother, which means you still have a blind spot, and that you're actually ignoring it.
Convex mirrors is the best bet, but the ONLY other safe method involves moving your head. turning your mirrors out instead just moves the danger, and makes people less likely to check their blind spot properly.
 
I could just ask you the same question. Are you implying the "normal" way is safer for lazier drivers?
Normal drivers shoulder check, it's been drilled in to everyone for years and years. Lazy drivers adjust their mirrors and then skip moving their head. They think they're safer, but they're actually more dangerous because now they're ignoring a blind spot instead of checking it.
 
Normal drivers shoulder check, it's been drilled in to everyone for years and years. Lazy drivers adjust their mirrors and then skip moving their head. They think they're safer, but they're actually more dangerous because now they're ignoring a blind spot instead of checking it.

That doesn't make any sense. Please cite a source before you make ridiculous claims otherwise it's just FUD.
 
How, pray tell, can one "sketch" on a MS or MX with sleek bodies and door handles flush? :)

"Okay, now when that Tesla drives by..."

BicycleLasso.JPG


:p
 
I notice this was written in January of 2015. When it rained for the first time in three years a few seasons later, were you still able to rely on the rear view camera?
Yes, it does take a bit of getting used to because of the distortion, but overall it works okay. There would be a problem if you drove on dirty streets as the mud thrown up would obscure vision. The goal is to tell if something is there, not read the license plate number. That said, there is plenty of room for improvement in keeping it clean. I'm somewhat surprised there hasn't been an aftermarket accessory to help with this.
 
A better location for a rear view camera for driving would be up at the top of the hatch. That location would get the least road gunk, though you do need the lower camera for backing up.
Surprisingly, the longer I've had my Model S, the less the distortion of the rear view camera during rain bothers me. If I lived where there was snow, it would be a different story as you can't see through mud.
 
I was taught this apparently controversial method of moving the mirrors out when I took the High Performance Driving School at Skip Barber in Leguna Seca. It was a bit unnerving at first, but I swear by it now. I adjusted my Model S mirrors, and I have no rear blind spot. The trick is to eliminate the overlap between the rear view mirror and the side mirrors. Anything behind me is in one of the three mirrors. Two things about this method:
1) It is weird to not see the side of your car in your side view mirror. A couple of the instructors said that they just could not deal with it, and did not use the method.
2) I still have to turn my head with this method. In an open wheel car, the mirrors are in your field of vision. In a Tesla Model S, your side mirrors are not in your field of vision unless you turn your head. I am not following the folks who say you don't need to turn your head.

If you have dialed it in correctly, anything outside of your peripheral vision is in one of your mirrors. If that is not the case, keep adjusting. The only difference with this method is that the rear blind spots are gone. You still have to turn your head to see the mirrors!
 
I was taught this apparently controversial method of moving the mirrors out when I took the High Performance Driving School at Skip Barber in Leguna Seca. It was a bit unnerving at first, but I swear by it now. I adjusted my Model S mirrors, and I have no rear blind spot. The trick is to eliminate the overlap between the rear view mirror and the side mirrors. Anything behind me is in one of the three mirrors. Two things about this method:
1) It is weird to not see the side of your car in your side view mirror. A couple of the instructors said that they just could not deal with it, and did not use the method.
2) I still have to turn my head with this method. In an open wheel car, the mirrors are in your field of vision. In a Tesla Model S, your side mirrors are not in your field of vision unless you turn your head. I am not following the folks who say you don't need to turn your head.

If you have dialed it in correctly, anything outside of your peripheral vision is in one of your mirrors. If that is not the case, keep adjusting. The only difference with this method is that the rear blind spots are gone. You still have to turn your head to see the mirrors!

Controversial? I was taught this in very rural high school by my college best friend. Takes a little getting used to, but I've been doing this for almost 40 years now. The rear view mirror (wait for it) is for looking behind you. Side view mirrors are . . . for eliminating the rear quarter "Honda dent" I see on so many XX chromosome cars.

My friend should have started his own driving school.
 
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Controversial? I was taught this in very rural high school by my college best friend. Takes a little getting used to, but I've been doing this for almost 40 years now. The rear view mirror (wait for it) is for looking behind you. Side view mirrors are . . . for eliminating the rear quarter "Honda dent" I see on so many XX chromosome cars.

My friend should have started his own driving school.

Seems to be "controversial" in this forum, as folks are claiming it is outright dangerous. The process works for me, and obviously many others. Worth a try in my book!
 
Seems to be "controversial" in this forum, as folks are claiming it is outright dangerous. The process works for me, and obviously many others. Worth a try in my book!
It's dangerous to have them the other way because you have a large blind spot otherwise. I've set them that way for several decades.