Rule No.9

Don't trust your mirrors.

Most cars are equipped with two side mirrors and one above the dash, which is often called the rear view mirror. These mirrors are there to help you see what's coming up on your sides and what's in back of you respectively. The bad news is that they don't give you a total view because of blind spots. Some cars are worse than others in this respect.

The driver's side mirror is particularly notorious. There is a definite blind spot when a passing car is at the rear corner of your vehicle. A passing vehicle in this location is often not seen in the rear view mirror above the dash. It's in the dreaded bling spot. This is why my father told me that I should never trust the mirrors. He said that this is the reason that God gave us a neck so that we could turn our heads and look to make sure that no vehicle is in the blind spot. I've never lost the habit of doing this and it has saved me on many occasions.

This rule also applies to the right side of the vehicle. If you want to make a lane change to the right, it pays to turn and make sure it's clear even though the right side mirror is much better at showing a clear view because it's wide angle view. The bad news is that objects in the right side mirror look further away then they really are. It takes experience to know when it's safe to change lanes under this situation. My judgment is based on the idea that if I can't see a vehicle in the rear view mirror above the dash, then it's probably not save to pull over to the right. A quick turn of the head is the best insurance.

I would assume that theses practices are reversed in the U.K.

There are two supposed solutions to this blind spot problem. One is to adjust the side mirrors to show the blind spot. What this means is that you'll no longer see the edge of your car, which is the traditional adjustment.

The other solution is to purchase a blind spot add on mirror. Most of these add-ons work by using a convex mirror to show a wider view, which again is not in true perspective (things appear further away than they are). There are also digital cameras to help in this situation but they're a more expensive solution. Many cars now come with a backup camera.

Some drivers obviously don't even look in the mirrors before making a lane change. That's a sure ticket to an accident. In fact, it's the main cause of sideswiping accidents, and this is especially true if they also don't signal.
I still think the best solution is to turn around and look.

Thanks for reading.