Be honest: do you check your blind spot?

[Blueeberry]

I check mine (by quickly looking over my shoulder) religiously anytime I’m changing lane, especially on the motorway. Was speaking with a family member today however who seemed to think that blind spots were some sort of urban myth and insisted that you can see everything by just looking in your mirrors…

When I kindly informed her that no, you can’t see everything in your mirrors she told me that my idea of checking over my shoulder is ridiculous and dangerous, there’s no way that she’d feel comfortable doing it whilst driving. AIBU to think WTF?!

Yes, i double check despite having a sensor on the wing mirrors that beeps at me if theres something in my blind spot when i indicate.

Blind spot checking was drilled into me decades ago. Hugely important.

Had a bloody scare the other day. Black car, unlit road, couldn't see in either mirror, but I did know there should be a car there somewhere as I'd passed it as it joined the road. Even glancing to the side it was difficult to see. It had come up to my left and was sitting in my blind spot. Front of car level with rear passenger door so not visible through front passenger window. Small car so the front of the car was lower than the windows and as it's shorter it's easier to disappear into the blind spot. Possibly also in the blind spot at the edges of driving glasses.

To realise that a car was so difficult to see is quite scary.

It was terrifying when I realised I had missed seeing a cyclist in the glasses blind spot. Always much more careful now.

This does sound like a definitive answer

The blind spot is fleeting and every driver should be aware of cars going faster than them on a motorway when those cars are behind them. You should know they are approaching. You therefore know, by using mirrors, that they will hit your blind spot. As a result you either decide to stay in your lane or pull out depending on the speed they are closing on you. It’s poor driving to be surprised by cars closing on you and you didn’t see them earlier.

As a result, I would not be glancing round at high speed. It’s not necessary unless you really have not paid attention to the traffic approaching your car.

Pulling out from being parked into moving traffic is entirely different and you should physically look round and check. As the driving test does not include motorway instruction, most new drivers are not told anything about overtaking on a motorway. That needs to change in my view but long looks backwards (where there can still be a black spot depending on car design) is taking your eyes away from what is in front of you. So it’s not entirely safe to do that. The key to motorway driving is anticipation and knowing what others are doing.

Checking the blindspot has never required an exaggerated spin your body around movement. It is a brief glance over your shoulder to check it is clear. Maybe this is why people on here are getting confused but talking about the same thing. I don’t physically contort my body- I move my head very quickly around to pick up anything potentially behind me I haven’t seen. I have to be satisfied when I move nothing is there and don’t move until I am sure. I don’t think anyone can physically spin their body whilst doing 70 in a motorway.

I have a small blind spot mirror on my wing mirrors both sides.

Here it is. Take a sideways glance. At no time does the highway code say look behind you. It is clear about what you should do. So it’s a quick sideways glance.

Yes I think that’s the key. Those that think checking the blind spot is wrong must think it involves moving all your body and head to effectively looking in the back of the car for a long time. A quick glance sideways should not cause you to be any more dangerous than looking about in front of you. And god forbid if they have an accident and cause death or serious injury because they moved lanes or pulled out unsafely and didn’t see cyclists/cars in their blindspot.

The point, which you are clearly choosing to miss, is that you do not need to look around as you would do from a setting off position.
You should be aware of your surroundings to such an extent that a quick sideways glance is all this is required.

Hard disagree to this.
I was taught to spend at least as much time checking behind you as in front of you on a motorway, so I’m very vigilant in keeping an eye on my mirrors. In spite of that, I have been almost caught out a few times by cars tailgating other cars - you can’t always see the 2nd car in your mirrors, if they’re close to the car in front. If I hadn’t had a quick glance to my side I would have pulled out into their path.

I can’t understand people who don’t check their blind spot - it’s as second nature to me as putting my seatbelt on or indicating.

Get a blind spot mirror. Looking over your shoulder is not safe and in the time you’ve looked then turned around something could have come out - hence getting the blind spot Mirror! Most new cars automatically have them fitted

Advanced motorists are trained to do both. Yes, you should be checking mirrors often enough to know what's around you, BUT, shoulder checks of your blind spots are also essential "just in case", particularly if, say, on a motorway, you're in lane 3 and pulling back into lane 2 - you know you've overtaken the car in lane 2 as you can see it in your mirror, but you don't know for certain whether there's someone in lane 1 pulling into lane 2, same happens if you're pulling from lane 1 to 2 or joining a motorway, you don't know if someone in lane 3 is pulling over to lane 2 (or lane 2 into lane 1). For the sake of a split second shoulder check, it's a no brainer to do it and get into the habit of doing it every time you change "course". Advanced motorcyclists call it the "life saver" rather than a shoulder check.

Once waiting in a car park that was arranged in herring bone spaces, two cars opposite eachother both reversed at the same time and collided - both were relying on the mirrors and/or reversing cameras and neither saw the other, hence the collision. Had one or other done a shoulder check, they'd have seen the other and avoided the collision.

And that’s what everyone saying look round/behind to check the blind spot means. Ypu are looking to the side/a little behind where you are. It’s not an exaggerated over the shoulder contortion.

I agree. A shoulder check takes a fraction of a second, little more than blinking really, so isn't in any way risky or dangerous - the chances of hitting something in front of you due to a split second of looking over your shoulder is far less than the risking of a side swipe!

Exactly, you're not twisting your back/entire back around in the same way you may do when reversing, it's a very quick left or right partial neck movement to check nothing's alongside you.

Only the ‘dont check your blind spot’ people think checking your blind spot means the same as turning completely round before pulling away from stationary though! It’s a quick flick of the head and eyes to the side to look slightly behind you for a second.

I glance over my shoulder. I am well-aware that I can't see everything in the mirrors. Can be hazardous not to look but it's obvious people don't look by the way they manouevre on M-ways sometimes.

@Icepop79 That’s why the highway code says glance to your side. It’s not a long look over your shoulder.

I knew there was a reason why I hate driving now. If people think they are such good drivers they don't even think they need to check their blind spot (or even know what checking it means ie not twisting your whole body round) then I dread to think what else they are doing or not doing. I haven't had an accident in the 20 years I've been driving but had some bloody near misses because of drivers who can't drive (especially those who can't use an indicator on a roundabout or even when they're turning). Rant over.

Yes - you aren't literally turning round to look back through your rear window.

When I was a very new driver I forgot to check when I was changing lanes on the motorway. I nearly caused a major accident. From looking in my mirrors, it looked completely clear. The car I had at the time had a horrendous blind spot, and you can be sure I checked it religiously from that day forward. My current car has much better visuals, but I still check. I will never not check again. I could have killed people.

This is just semantics - nobody ever suggested you need to give a ‘long look’ 180 degrees behind you. Whether you describe it a a ‘sideways glance’ or a ‘look round’, your eyes need to physically view the blind spot. Mirrors are not an adequate substitute.

@HardworkSendHelp how good is your system at detecting smaller things like cyclists? Studies show that the automatic sensors aren’t failsafe so you should check.

I nearly got hit head on by a Range Rover driver who was turning into the road I was on, on the wrong side and she got to within half a metre of me, I moved back and yelled before the car stopped. I was stationary and waiting to turn into the road. If she were looking (she was looking down towards her car door, presumably at a phone) she’d have seen me, if she was driving on the correct side of the road no issue. So yeah I do not trust the tech cause it did not stop at a safe distance, and I’d have been hit if I were moving.

i am imagining the tech is pretty high standard in such an expensive car (wankpanzer) so if that’s the best, its not good enough.

You can adjust mirrors to reduce blind spots and most modern mirrors are split screen so provide a wider angle.

BUT only an idiot would trust that in all situations, a side ways glance, using peripheral vision is all it takes to save yours or someone else's life.

Absolutely agree and will keep on doing it!
But will be doubly cautious now I know some people don't think it's necessary.

All cars are not the same and the visibility in all cars is not the same. A quick glance is a good habit to get into because a) it could save a life b) it's a good "belt & braces" approach even if you have used your mirrors well.

As everyone says, it's only a glance not a full body turn which of course would be crazy at 70mph.