Author: Loren Nelson

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Do I need blind spot mirrors for my motor home?

Blind spot mirrors attempt to address a real problem for motorists, especially those with long and wide vehicles such as motor homes. They are an essential tool in the search for safety on the road.

All vehicles have blind spots to the rear quarter. Those on a motor home are longer and reach further out to the side. They will also have a blind spot to the rear, usually viewed in a car through the rear view mirror.

The side mirrors can only show part of the picture and it is a foolish driver who forgets that when they look in those mirrors, they may be missing something. The blind spot in a motor home could easily hide several cars or a truck.

Blind spot mirrors mostly work by giving a second angle of vision. They point in a different direction and show a different area to the usual side mirrors. Some have different shaped lenses so that they take in a broader area than the normal mirrors.

They are usually fixed to the existing mirrors and on extended or extendable brackets of some sort. This allows for extra vision to the rear of the vehicle as well as down both sides.

Some blind spot mirrors are in addition to the existing mirrors whilst some replace them altogether.

Try out the various sorts in various configurations. For example there is a theory that the larger nearside blind spot needs a convex mirror to help, whilst the smaller spot on the off side is best addressed by a flat mirror.

They should be adjusted to give the greatest benefit by reducing the blind spot the most. They should also be used in practice by the driver to avoid confusion on the road as to what is being seen in which mirror.

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Towing with a blind spot mirror

Towing while driving is a totally new experience compared to driving your car by itself. You will have a different load, different handling characteristics and a different view. You are going to need a blind spot mirror.

You will be used to looking in your car’s wing mirrors to see at least some of what is down the side and to the rear. Although there are blind spots, you will be familiar with these and perhaps instinctively account for them. When you attach your trailer or caravan for the first time and have a look, you will see this is not enough.

Blind spot mirrors will give you a better view and cut out some of the blind spot the length and width of the towing combination will give. They are often fitted onto the existing mirrors to give a wider perspective. The drawback there is the increased width to your car, which you may not be used to. Also, badly fitted extensions can be a hazard if they catch the wind.

Some blind spot mirrors have different lenses to normal. They might for example be a frog-eyed mirror with a convex lens to broaden the view normally given. The extra light from further afield may well cut down the blind spot, although the perspective will differ from what you are used to.

Blind spot mirrors need to be adjusted to suit the driver and his position in the car. They should be lined up with the existing mirrors so that there is some overlapping for orientation, but the widest combination of views is obtained.

Drivers should never assume blind spot mirrors give a complete picture when towing, but they will help cut down the blind spots and give a better view than just the existing wing mirrors provide alone.

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How do I check for blind spots?

You are driving fast along the freeway, but you cannot see all about you! You have blind spots in your vision. So how do you find out where they are and what do you do about them?

Looking forwards, everything behind side on to you is invisible. You cannot rely on direct vision and must instead use mirrors. These side mirrors will reflect some of the picture for you but bits will be missing.

Each side mirror will give a field of view. To orientate yourself and view as much as possible, you need to align the side mirror to show part of the vehicle. However, this needs to be as little as possible because for all the area of the mirror showing your own vehicle, there is a part wasted which cannot see anything else.

Whatever you do, there will be an area outside the field of mirror, to your rear quarter or the area where another vehicle might be when it is coming by you.

Whilst stationary, you need to have someone walk around the car and take note of where you can see them and where not. You will find that as they come out from behind you (rear view mirror) they will pass through the side mirror vision area and out into invisibility before appearing in your normal direct vision.

Having noted this, you should ensure when driving that you allow for this blind spot. You can do that by allowing plenty of time for invisible vehicles to appear and by giving lots of notice of your movements.

You can also make a small movement of the head to give a different angle of direct vision. This will cut down the overall blind spot but of course means taking your eyes off the road in front.

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Blind spot mirrors for motorcycles

Blind spot mirrors for motorcycles are needed in an attempt to reduce the natural blind spots and increase safety.

The bike rider will have a natural field of view to the front and will be able to enhance this with occasional glimpses to the side. He may possibly risk the rare glance over the shoulder. However, as a rider, you will find that there are still areas to the rear or rear quarter which are not always in view. That is where the danger lies.

Other vehicles, especially other bikes, can easily hide in those blind spots. Bikes are especially vulnerable since one touch from another vehicle probably means a crash and serious injury to the rider.

Blind spot mirrors will increase the total area viewed by the rider in the normal riding position. They do this by either simply providing more mirror space, angled differently, or by offering a wider view in the same direction. A combination is also possible.

An extra mirror, mounted on a bracket holding it further from the bike than the original side mirror, will give the rider an extra view and provide them with a fuller picture of what is around them. A wider angled mirror on the existing mirror mounting might have the same effect.

With the side mirrors aimed at the back of the bike, the extra mirrors should be angled away to broaden the view. The rider should sit on the bike while it is stationary and ask someone to walk round it to check the adjustments. The rider should ensure the new mirrors’ field of vision overlaps that of the existing wing mirror. This makes sure there are no gaps for other vehicles to be lost in.

The result will certainly not be perfect, but blind spot mirrors should still be used.

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Blind spot mirrors for the motor home

Many people in the US retire to their motor home for a life of travel on the road. However, you will not get far or travel safely without some blind spot mirrors.

Your motor home will come with side mirrors attached. These will give you a view down the side of the vehicle. Which view you get depends on how you adjust them, but people often angle them so that the driver can see part of the side of the home in the mirror. This is so they know what they are looking at in comparison to their vehicle.

However, that set-up will still leave a large area behind the motor home which is invisible and areas down each side where nothing can be seen. The side blind spots increase further back you look. It is very easy for another vehicle to be sitting behind or in the rear quarter area and be unseen by the driver.

Blind spot mirrors are an attempt to combat this problem by giving a wider or alternative view. The extra mirrors will be angled differently so that they cover a different field. By looking at both mirrors, the driver will be opening up some of the blind spot area.

The mirrors come in various designs. They might attach directly on to the side mirrors just to give a new angle. They might be bubble mirrors, looking at the same place but with a wider perspective. They might be on brackets which hold them much further out from the side. This will give a much wider angle and allow some vision of the area directly behind the vehicle. Convex mirrors on the near side can offer a wider view of the area furthest from the driver.

Blind spot mirrors do not cover all the blind spot, but they are a start.

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Blind spot mirrors for trailers

If you are planning to tow a trailer, you are going to need blind spot mirrors for your car.

Even without towing anything, your car will suffer from blind spots. The side mirrors will only show so much of the area to the rear quarter and in the blind spots could lurk other road users.

With a trailer in the equation, the situation is worse. You may have no vision to the rear, with your rear view mirror blocked. Your side mirrors will probably give you a good view of part of the trailer, but nothing more.

Blind spot mirrors are needed to help with this problem. They come in various sorts and you will need to consider what is best for what you are going to be driving and towing.

You can get additional small mirrors that stick on your existing side mirrors. These are a strange oval type shape and have convex lenses. They are called frog-eye mirrors and although they may show the same areas, they will give a wider perspective.

There are others which may attach to the existing mirrors but are on brackets which position them further from the side of the car. They give a better view of further back and you may get some rear view capability with them. They will also help cut out some of the side blind spots.

Some blind spot mirrors will completely replace the existing with new larger mirrors on extendable arms.

You need to angle the blind spot mirrors so that their overall fields of view interlock as far as possible. Make sure they are fitted properly and will not move about in the wind caused by the movement of the vehicle. Check and note where the blind spots remain and keep them in mind when driving.

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Blind spot mirrors for towing

When driving your car, you rely on your wing mirrors to give some vision down the side. However, if you look in them when towing your or trailer caravan, you may get a good view of what you are towing, but not a lot else. A blind spot mirror is an attempt to deal with this problem.

The idea is to broaden your view of the area to the rear and the rear quarter, giving a different angle and perspective on the environment around you as you travel.

These types of blind spot mirrors will usually come on a long bracket. These can be fixed on the existing mirror or its bracket and put greater distance between the side of the vehicle and the mirror. This in turn gives the wider view being sought.

If you are going to be doing a lot of towing, you might consider a replacement fitting altogether. The market does include extendable brackets for mirrors. You can then position them in the normal place when just driving your car and then move them, sometimes electronically, out further when towing.

Another alternative is to fix bubble mirrors or frog-eyed mirrors on the existing mirrors. These give a wider view, not because of their physical fixing in a different place, but because of the convex lens, giving a much wider view from the same location.

Some people suggest anyway that convex lenses should be used on the near side to compensate for the particularly large blind spot on that side caused by the distance from the driver. However, they tend to reduce the size of the object you are trying to avoid so they have their down sides as well.

Blind spot mirrors should be checked for secure fitting before travel and adjusted to give the best possible view. The driver will need to be familiar with the new view and more importantly, the area still within the blind spots.